BLOOMINGTON, MN — Walser Automotive Group, one of Minnesota's largest car dealerships, has agreed to pay the state $490,000 to settle a tax evasion case, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.
As part of the deal, felony charges filed against the Bloomington-based company in January were dropped, though a motion to formally dismiss them is still pending.
State prosecutors had claimed that Walser worked with an Orono auto broker to funnel new vehicle purchases through Montana shell companies before reselling them as used cars, a setup that would have avoided Minnesota's sales tax.
Walser did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, but agreed to random Minnesota State Patrol compliance audits for three years, formed an internal sales tax compliance committee, and agreed to cooperate with the case still pending against the broker.
Read more at the Star Tribune.
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