Central Iowa restaurant owner owes more than $100K in state sales taxes, records show
Tyler J. DavisA central Iowa business owner is facing more than a dozen felony tax evasion charges for allegedly withholding more than $100,000 from the state.
Justin Eugene Hodges, 34, was arrested Thursday and charged with 13 counts of sales tax evasion. An Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division audit of Hodges' sales tax records for his Mexican restaurant, La Feria, revealed that he had collect much more in sales taxes than he had paid.
A criminal complaint from Pleasant Hill police states Hodges properly paid his income and sales taxes for the business, located at 4450 E. University Ave., in his first year of operation but had not since.
A summary of sales taxes collected by the Pleasant Hill eatery from the first quarter of 2016 until first quarter of 2019 totals $239,115.66, the complaint states. The total for sales tax remitted during that same time period is $108,204.36, leaving a gap of more than $120,000.
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Hodges was released Friday morning. He intends to hire his own attorney and will next appear in court June 24, court records show. An employee with La Feria said the restaurant has no plans to close.
Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at 515-284-8378, tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.