Mapleton man accused of long-term tax avoidance
Nov. 2—MANKATO — A Mapleton man is accused of evading at least $112,000 in state taxes over the course of years, according to charges filed against him this week.
Terrance Lee Roberts, 67, was charged with two felonies for failure to pay taxes Tuesday in Blue Earth County District Court.
A criminal complaint states Roberts may not have been filing tax returns since at least 2006. An investigator from the Minnesota Department of Revenue reported the agency sent 59 letters to Roberts between September 2011 and June 2023 regarding his failure to pay taxes.
Roberts received paychecks from his unnamed employer in the form of prepaid cards, according to the complaint. He would then transfer the money to himself and his wife, while paying his utility bills and rent with cash, the complaint states.
The investigator spoke with Roberts, who reportedly claimed he filed joint tax returns and had an accountant file returns for him before the accountant's death in 2021. The complaint alleges he admitted to receiving mail from the revenue department about his tax liabilities and hadn't set aside money to pay the taxes.
The complaint notes tax records allegedly show Roberts had $290,000 in "gambling income" from 2017-2022. When asked about it, the complaint states, Roberts said he spent more at the casinos than he made.
A review of 1099 forms by the investigator reportedly showed Roberts had a gross income of about $1.49 million between 2017-2022. Roberts claimed his take-home pay was about $50,000 per year, according to the complaint.
The revenue department estimated the tax amount plus penalties and interest owed by Roberts from 2019-2022 totals $112,747.
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