The owner of St. Joe Guns is facing multiple felony charges after being accused of failing to pay more than $329,000 in sales tax to the State of Missouri.
Eric Worsham, 27 of St. Joseph was charged Friday in Buchanan County with three felonies for filing false sales tax returns, and five felonies for with intent to defraud.
According to court documents obtained by the St. Joseph Post, Special Agent Brittany Davenport with the Missouri Department of Revenue, Criminal Tax Investigation Bureau began investigating Worsham and St. Joe Guns located on Southwest US Highway 59 in St. Joseph for filing false sales tax returns and for failure to remit sales tax due.
In the probable cause documents, Davenport said she looked at sales tax that should have been collected from consumers from January 2013 through Sept. 2015.
“The total criminal sales tax liability of underpaid sales tax for Worsham of St. Joe Guns is three hundred eighty-eight thousand twent-nine dollars and sixty-one cents ($388,029.61),” Davenport said. “This figure includes the sales tax due, interest, additions and fraud penalties of Worsham.”
She said that tax registration records show St. Joe Guns has been in business as a gun store, selling merchandise to consumers since at least 2012.
“Worsham has filed seven (7) out of eight (8) annual and quarterly sales tax returns required since the inception of St. Joe Guns in 2012. Worsham has only remitted the correct sales tax payments for three (3) sales tax periods out of eight(8) sales tax periods due to the state of Missouri,” Davenport said. “Since the proper sales tax amount has not been fully paid since 2012, Worsham has personally benefited from the tax dollars that were not remitted.”
Davenport said Worsham has used the money to pay for expenses and personal expenditures.
“For instance, recurring expenses including purchases to various retailers and eating establishments, including, but not limited to Wal-Mart, Menards and Amazon.com,” Davenport said.
In addition, she states that the department of revenue shows that in 2013 he purchased a 2003 Pace Trailer and a 2000 GMC Truck.
“This shows Worsham’s disregard of the laws of the state of Missouri, as related to the remittance of sales tax,” Davenport said. “Worsham purchased a vehicle and a trailer in 2013, but Worsham failed to pay the sales tax due on retail sales from St. Joe Guns in 2013.”
Davenport said on Dec. 8, 2015 she went to St. Joe Guns to try to make contact with Worsham.
“Upon my arrival, I made contact with an employee, who indicated that Worsham was the owner of the business, but that he worked full time for Gray Manufacturing,” Davenport said. “The employee advised that Worsham typically works at St. Joe Guns on the weekends. I left a copy of the sales tax revocation letter previously mailed to Worsham of St. Joe Guns and my contact information.”
Then on Dec. 17 Davenport said she spoke with St. Joe Guns’s power of attorney and advised that she would like to set up a time to meet with Worsham.
“As of the date of this report, I have been unable to make contact with Worsham directly, in regard to an interview,” Davenport said.
A special prosecutor has been assigned to the case. Andrew County Prosecuting Attorney, Steven Stevenson has been assigned by Judge Patrick Robb.