News relese from state Department of Revenue:
Clinton, Tenn. – The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department
of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to the indictment and surrender
of Jerry Lee Hatmaker, age 64, of Knoxville, Tenn. On Dec. 14, 2011, Hatmaker
surrendered to authorities at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department. Bond was
set at $25,000.
On Dec. 12, 2011, the Anderson County Grand Jury returned a 4 count indictment
for Evasion of Sales Tax in violation of Tenn. Code Ann. Section 67-1-1440, a
Class E felony. Hatmaker was also indicted on one count of Filing a False
Report, one count of Perjury, and one count of Forgery. The indictment charges
that Hatmaker obstructed the State in the collection of sales tax by falsifying
records relating to his purchase of a boat, resulting in underreported sales tax
totaling $2,050.50.
“The Department of Revenue promotes voluntary taxpayer compliance by educating
taxpayers, aggressively pursuing criminal sanctions and demanding accountability
when taxpayers engage in fraudulent activity,” said Revenue Commissioner Richard
H. Roberts. “This indictment underscores the department’s ongoing efforts to
enforce Tennessee’s tax laws.”
Prosecution of this criminal case was pursued by the department in cooperation
with District Attorney General Dave Clark’s office. Citizens who suspect
violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws should call the toll-free tax fraud hot
line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
In addition to collecting state taxes, $2.0 billion of local sales and business
taxes were collected by the department for local governments during the 2011
fiscal year. Besides collecting taxes, the department enforces the revenue laws
fairly and impartially in an effort to encourage voluntary taxpayer compliance.
The department also apportions revenue collections for distribution to the
various state funds and local units of government. To learn more about the
department, log on to www.TN.gov/revenue.