Cape man charged with withholding state sales taxes
A Cape Coral business owner is accused of withholding $132,000 in sales tax owed to the state.
Richard Joseph Boye, 45, of 5695 Tarpon Gardens Circle, Apt. 201, was arrested and charged Friday with one count of larceny sales tax fail to remit $100,000. He was booked at the Lee County Jail.
As of Tuesday, Boye had been released from custody on $30,000 bond.
As the owner of 16th Place Experience and doing business as Richee B’s Sports Restaurant, Boye collected sales tax from customers. According to the Florida Department of Revenue, during various periods from July 2012 to March 2014, he failed to send the state all of the sales tax he collected.
Under Florida law, sales tax is the property of the state at the moment of collection.
Officials reported that Boye faces up to 30 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines if convicted, along with the possible repayment of stolen tax, interest, penalty and investigative costs.
Assistant State Attorney James Miller is handling the case.
Assistant Public Defender Penelope Michalakis is representing Boye.
Neither she nor Boye returned messages Tuesday seeking comment.
“It is an honor to serve the vast majority of Florida businesses who comply with state tax requirements,” Marshall Stranburg, executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue, said in a prepared statement released Friday. “For those that don’t, it is our job to enforce the law and ensure honest businesses are not placed at a competitive disadvantage by those who ignore the law or intentionally collect and steal taxpayer dollars.”
Boye has a court appearance scheduled for Monday.
Richee B’s Sports Restaurant is at 4703 S.W. 16th Place.