Whenever the tax commissioner discovers any motor fuel subject to the taxes levied under Chapter 5735 of the Revised Code and upon which the taxes have not been paid, the commissioner may seize and take possession of the motor fuel. The motor fuel shall be forfeited to the state, and the commissioner, within a reasonable time thereafter, may sell the forfeited motor fuel. The commissioner shall collect the taxes due on the forfeited motor fuel from the proceeds of the sale. Proceeds of the sale shall be paid into the state treasury pursuant to this chapter. The seizure and sale shall not relieve any person from fine or imprisonment resulting from a violation of section 5735.022 or 5735.20 of the Revised Code. The sale shall be made in the county in which it is most convenient and economical.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 5735.102

  • imprisonment: means being imprisoned under a sentence imposed for an offense or serving a term of imprisonment, prison term, jail term, term of local incarceration, or other term under a sentence imposed for an offense in an institution under the control of the department of rehabilitation and correction, a county, multicounty, municipal, municipal-county, or multicounty-municipal jail or workhouse, a minimum security jail, a community-based correctional facility, or another facility described or referred to in section 2929. See Ohio Code 1.05
  • Motor fuel: means gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, compressed natural gas, or any other liquid motor fuel, including, but not limited to, liquid petroleum gas or liquid natural gas, but excluding substances prepackaged and sold in containers of five gallons or less. See Ohio Code 5735.01
  • Person: includes individuals, partnerships, firms, associations, corporations, receivers, trustees in bankruptcy, estates, joint-stock companies, joint ventures, the state and its political subdivisions, and any combination of persons of any form. See Ohio Code 5735.01
  • state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59

Any motor vehicle used to transport motor fuel seized pursuant to this section also is subject to seizure by the tax commissioner. The tax commissioner may dispose of the seized vehicle in the manner prescribed by this section for disposing of seized motor fuel.