JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — A former manager of Charley’s Philly Steaks in Johnson City pleaded guilty on Thursday to attempted tax evasion and theft between $10,000 and $60,000.
The two felony counts stem from tax returns Amy Oaks Turner filed from January 2015 through March 2019 when she worked as a manager at the restaurant, a release from the Tennessee Department of Revenue detailed. She had originally also been charged with 51 felony counts of filing false sales tax returns.
Washington County Criminal Court Judge Lisa Rice ordered Turner to pay a $91,563.01 restitution to the Department of Revenue and sentenced her to three years of supervised probation. She avoided a maximum sentence of six years in prison and $10,000 in fines for the theft charge.
“The Department of Revenue promotes voluntary taxpayer compliance by educating taxpayers, aggressively pursuing criminal sanctions and demanding accountability when taxpayers engage in fraudulent activity,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano stated in a news release. “This guilty plea underscores the department’s ongoing efforts to enforce Tennessee’s tax laws.”
DA Kenneth Baldwin’s office assisted the department throughout the investigation. News Channel 11 has reached out to prosecutors for additional details.
Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hotline at 800-372-8389.
