Minnesota: Tobacco Tax Evasion Could Mean Prison Time

It doesn't pay to avoid paying taxes on tobacco products, at least not in Minnesota. A Minnesota man has been charged with one count of possessing untaxed tobacco products. If convicted, he faces a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.

A news release issued by the Minnesota Department of Revenue explains how Hamza Abualzain of Columbia Heights purchased a van full of tobacco products in Chicago and then returned to Minnesota with the intent to sell the tobacco to stores in the Twin Cities. Had his plan worked, he would have avoided paying $23,300 in Minnesota taxes - a tidy profit for his efforts. As it is, he may find himself $10,000 poorer and in prison.