Acton man found guilty on all 19 counts of tax evasion

September 22, 2014

(AUGUSTA) Attorney General Janet T. Mills announced that, following an eight day trial, a York County Jury found Richard Weymouth, age 67, guilty of 19 counts of income, sales and use tax evasion from 2006 through 2012, as well as homestead exemption fraud. Weymouth resides in Acton, Maine, where he was elected to several terms of the budget committee and the road committee and where he operated a snow plow and excavation business, R.W. Construction Co. Weymouth also worked for the Town of Acton plowing roads. For tax purposes, however, he claimed to reside with his mother in Rochester, New Hampshire and used a post office box in Milton Mills, New Hampshire.

During certain years between 2006 through 2012, Weymouth evaded Maine and Federal income taxes by failing to report most of the income he earned from his business. In addition, he evaded state sales and use taxes on his purchases of several trucks and heavy equipment for his business, by falsely claiming in tax documents that he was a legal resident of New Hampshire and that his trucks and equipment were stored outside of Maine. Weymouth paid approximately $42,000 in back Maine taxes including tax, interest, and penalties just as he was going to trial. Additionally, he owes the Town of Acton for an undetermined amount in excise taxes and he must still resolve his federal income tax liability.

Mills commented, ?By misrepresenting what state he lived in, Mr. Weymouth sought to avoid the taxes that his neighbors pay and shifted the expenses to other Maine citizens. My office will vigorously prosecute those who seek to avoid paying their fair share by falsely claiming they live in another state.?

Assistant Attorney General Gregg Bernstein prosecuted the case, and Russell Veysey, a senior investigator with Maine Revenue Service?s Criminal Investigation Division, conducted the investigation.

The York County Jury reached its verdict on Friday, September 19, 2014. Sentencing on the 19 criminal charges will take place in approximately 45 days, as set by the York County Superior Court.

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