A Central Illinois convenience store chain owner has pleaded guilty to charges of sales tax evasion.
39-year old Surjit Singh of Clinton was charged in March 2023 with 2 counts of theft of government property, 4 counts of sales tax evasion, 9 counts of filing fraudulent sales tax returns, and one count of forgery for alleged schemes at his gas stations at the Clinton Pantry in Clinton, Lake Shore Stop LLC in Decatur, Chandlerville Food Inc. in Chandlerville, and the Winchester Food Mart in Winchester.
Subsequently the Illinois Attorney General’s Office filed 2 more counts of theft of government property over $100,000, two counts of sales tax evasion, and a single count of forgery for similar schemes at gas stations he owns in Pekin and Canton on August 16, 2024.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Singh failed to remit sales tax money collected from customers to the state of Illinois. In addition, Singh is alleged to have under-reported sales to the Illinois Department of Revenue, resulting in a criminal sales tax liability of more than $100,000 between the 6 stores he owns.
Last Tuesday, Singh pleaded guilty to one count of Class 2 felony Sales Tax Evasion, having all of the remaining charges dismissed per the plea. Singh was sentenced by Sangamon County Judge Robin Schmidt to 2 years of adult probation and order to pay full restitution in the case, which includes all of the back taxes, according to members of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office.