Winchester convenience store owner charged for alleged sales tax fraud

WINCHESTER, Ill. (WGEM) - Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced his office has charged the owner and operator of four convenience stores in Central Illinois for allegedly defrauding the state out of more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue.

According to Attorney General Raoul, his office charged Surjit Singh, 38, of Clinton, Illinois, in Sangamon County Circuit Court with two counts of theft of government property, four counts of sales tax evasion, nine counts of filing fraudulent sales tax returns, and one count of forgery.

Singh is the owner of four Central Illinois convenience stores: Pari Foods Inc. in Clinton, Lake Shore Stop LLC in Decatur, Chandlerville Food Inc. in Chandlerville, and Seeret Ayzel Inc. in Winchester.

According to Raoul, Singh failed to remit sales tax money collected from customers to the state of Illinois. In addition, Singh is alleged to have underreported sales to the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR), resulting in a criminal sales tax liability of more than $100,000 between the four stores.

“Individuals who steal from the state take away resources that are needed to fund the vital programs and services Illinoisans rely upon every day,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the partnership of the Illinois Department of Revenue as we work to root out fraud and hold individuals accountable.”

Deputy Bureau Chief Victor Turla and Assistant Attorney General Mansoor Broachwala are handling the case for Raoul’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.

Singh’s bond was set at $100,000, and his next court date is scheduled for May 22.

The investigation was conducted by the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigations Division.