A former Snohomish County businessman has been charged with 48 felony counts in connection with allegations that he failed to remit about $125,000 in sales tax to the state over two years.
The state Attorney General’s Office filed the case against Antoine Jarjour, 50, a Syrian national, in Snohomish County Superior Court.
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Jarjour, a Bellevue resident, said Brian Moran, assistant attorney general. The bail is $500,000.
According to charging papers, Jarjour formerly operated several businesses under the company name Meray Inc.
Businesses included a restaurant and delicatessen on Everett Mall Way in Everett, a convenience store in Kingston and several As Seen on TV retail stores located in shopping malls in Everett and elsewhere.
Between December 2002 and December 2004, Meray enterprises collected $259,866 in retail sales tax, but the company sent only $134,637 to the state, Moran alleged. The state should have received $125,229 more, he added.
A state Department of Revenue investigator uncovered possible fraud during an audit of Meray. On April 27, 2005, state officials conducted a search of the company’s headquarters, then located at 4017 Colby Ave., Everett.
Moran said investigators found only partial business records, and all 48 charges are based on examination of those.
Jarjour is charged with 18 counts of first-degree theft, six counts of second-degree theft and 24 counts of filing false or fraudulent tax returns.
If convicted as charged, Jarjour could face a prison term of between 31/2 and nearly five years, Moran said.
Meray Inc. was incorporated in 1992, and by 2001 its principal business was selling products advertised in television infomercials, such as cookware, health and beauty aids, and automotive products, Moran said.
Between January 2001 and December 2004, Meray operated 10 stores at different shopping mall kiosks.
According to documents, an auditor’s analysis indicated that for a three-year period ending Dec. 31, 2004, Meray’s net retail sales totaled nearly $8.5 million. In the same period, Meray reported a much lower sales number to the state, documents say.
Moran said he believes the state has still not found many of Meray’s business records.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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