(a) Any person, including persons other than the purchaser, who attempts to defeat or evade the tax imposed under this chapter in any manner, is guilty of a gross misdemeanor unless the tax involved exceeds $300, in which event the person is guilty of a felony. The term “person” as used in this section includes any officer or employee of a corporation or a member or employee of a partnership who as an officer, member, or employee is under a duty to perform the act with respect to which the violation occurs. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 628.26 or any other provision of the criminal laws of this state, an indictment may be found and filed, or a complaint filed, upon any criminal offense specified in this section, in the proper court within six years after the commission of the offense.

Attorney's Note

Under the Minnesota Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Gross misdemeanorup to 1 yearup to $3,000
Misdemeanorup to 90 daysup to $1,000
For details, see § 609.02

Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 297B.10

  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
  • state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
  • Tax: means any fee, charge, exaction, or assessment imposed by a governmental entity on an individual, person, entity, transaction, good, service, or other thing. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44

(b) Any person who collects the tax imposed under this chapter from a purchaser and willfully fails to remit the tax is guilty of a felony.

(c) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter, unless the violation be of the type referred to in paragraph (a) or (b), is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(d) When two or more offenses in paragraph (a) or (b) are committed by the same person within six months, the offenses may be aggregated; further, if the offenses are committed in more than one county, the accused may be prosecuted for all the offenses aggregated under this clause in any county in which one of the offenses was committed.