Crime & Safety
Burnsville Man Charged With Multiple Tax Crimes
Authorities claim he owes more than $26,000 in unpaid state income tax.

BURNSVILLE, MN — The Minnesota Department of Revenue announced that the Dakota County Attorney’s Office recently charged Gerald Ernest Forness, of Burnsville, with five felony counts of filing false or fraudulent individual income tax returns.
According to the criminal complaint, Forness over-reported his state income tax withholding each year from 2013 through 2017. The complaint also says that he attempted to avoid paying income tax by forging W-2s from two former employers, and not reporting income for work he did as an independent contractor in 2016 and 2017.
Investigators say Forness owes more than $26,000 in unpaid state income tax.
Find out what's happening in Burnsvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Each tax-related felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both, according to a news release.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.