(KNSI) — A Texas man is facing multiple tax related felonies in Minnesota for knowingly failing to file and pay up.
According to the complaint, Todd Merriam of San Antonio operates Merriam’s Midway Shows, a business set up at county fairs across the country, including at the Wright County Fair. Authorities say Merriam failed to pay sales tax and file sales tax returns in 2018 and 2019 and from 2021 through 2023. He is also accused of failing to file a sales tax return in 2024. Prosecutors allege Merriam also failed to file individual income tax returns and pay income tax for the years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
He admitted to investigators he was aware of his tax obligations and had received multiple notices from the Department of Revenue urging him to comply, including instructions on how to file and where to get help, if needed.
The filing further details a 2022 civil sales tax audit, during which Merriam allegedly underreported his gross receipts by $10,000 per Minnesota fair from 2018 to 2022. When confronted, investigators say he acknowledged the discrepancy, saying “he just did it” and that he “shouldn’t have done it.”
Merriam owes more than $387,000 in sales and income taxes, penalties, and interest.
He is facing six felony counts of failing to file sales tax returns, five felony counts of failing to pay sales and use tax, five felony counts of failing to file income tax returns, and five felony counts of willfully failing to pay income tax.
Each tax-related felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.
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