SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Three gas station operators from Illinois now face theft, fraud and tax evasion charges relating to alleged underreporting in sales for nearly three years.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul reports that Roger Multani, 29, of Peoria, Illinois, and brothers Surinder (Paul) Singh, 34, and Jitender (Jay) Singh, 33, both of Indianapolis, Indiana, were charged in a Peoria County Circuit Court and Sangamon County Circuit Court with multiple counts of theft, fraud and tax evasion.
Raoul said these men own and operate more than a dozen gas stations in Central and Southern Illinois. They allegedly underreported the more than $50 million in sales for three years from 2019 to 2022. This produced more than $4 million in tax liability.
“Individuals who underreport sales taxes are stealing from the state and from the residents in their communities who rely on the important programs and services stolen tax revenues are intended to fund,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the continued partnership of the Illinois Department of Revenue as we work together to hold these individuals accountable.”
These allegations come from between January 1, 2019 and July 20, 2022, when the three men collected millions of dollars in taxable revenue from customers, Raoul said. They failed to remit the collected sales tax to the state of Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Revenue led the investigation.
“Fraudulent business owners who underreport their income not only cheat the IDOR and Illinois taxpayers, but also other businesses that comply with their tax obligations and seek to compete on a level playing field,” said IDOR Director David Harris. “Today’s indictments demonstrate that there is a serious price to pay for this type of conduct and IDOR will continue to work closely with the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute those who break the law.”
Raoul’s office alleged the men underreported over $50 million in sales from the following Illinois gas stations, which they own and operate:
- Kamla Kaur Gas Stations, 1100 N. Main St., Peoria
- Kamla Kaur Group, 9109 N. Allen St., Peoria
- Kamla Kaur Petroleum, 4310 N. Knoxville Ave and 4709 N. Sterling Ave., Peoria
- Kamla Kaur Enterprises, 3903 Baring Trace, Peoria
- Kamla Kaur Convenience, 1108 W. Main St., Peoria
- Kamla Kaur Management, 1900 N. Knoxville Ave., Peoria
- RSM Management, 710 W. Detweiller Dr., Peoria
- KKG5, 337 State Highway 32, Stewardson and 1500 Church St., Xenia, Illinois
- KKG4, 614 S. Commercial St., Harrisburg and 1117 E., Metropolis, Illinois
- KKG 2, 500 S. Broadway Ave., Salem, Illinois
- KKG 1, 113 W Green St. Centralia and 5728 State Route 154, Pinckneyville
- SPM Group, 46th Fourth St., Albion and 107 N. Main St., Wayne City, Illinois
The charges released from Raoul’s office are as follows…
Altogether, Multani was charged in Peoria and Sangamon counties with one count of theft of property over $1 million and 15 counts of theft of government property over $100,000, all Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison; three counts of theft of government property over $100,000 and 14 counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, all Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison; three counts of sales tax evasion between $10,000 and $100,000, all Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Altogether, Jay Singh was charged in Peoria and Sangamon counties with one count of theft of property over $1 million and 15 counts of theft of government property over $100,000, all Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison; three counts of theft of government property over $100,000 and eight counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, all Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison; three counts of sales tax evasion between $10,000 and $100,000, all Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Paul Singh was charged in Peoria County with five counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The three men are all next due in court for October 26 in Peoria County. Multani and Jay Singh will also appear November 2 in Sangamon County.
Source : wsiltv.com
