Virginia Code 58.1-2299.10: Willful commission of prohibited acts; criminal penalties
Any person who willfully commits any of the following acts with the intent to (i) evade or circumvent the taxes imposed under this chapter or (ii) assist any other person in efforts to evade or circumvent such taxes is guilty of a Class 6 felony, if he:
Attorney's Note
Under the Virginia Code, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class 6 felony | up to 5 years | up to $2,500 |
| Class 1 misdemeanor | up to 12 months | up to $2,500 |
Terms Used In Virginia Code 58.1-2299.10
- Commissioner: means the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles. See Virginia Code 58.1-2292
- Department: means the Department of Motor Vehicles, acting directly or through its duly authorized officers and agents. See Virginia Code 58.1-2292
- Distributor: means (i) any person engaged in the business of selling fuels in the Commonwealth who brings, or causes to be brought, into the Commonwealth from outside the Commonwealth any fuels for sale, or any other person engaged in the business of selling fuels in the Commonwealth; (ii) any person who makes, manufactures, fabricates, processes, or stores fuels in the Commonwealth for sale in the Commonwealth; or (iii) any person engaged in the business of selling fuels outside the Commonwealth who ships or transports fuels to any person in the business of selling fuels in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 58.1-2292
- Fuel: means any fuel subject to tax under Chapter 22 (§ 58. See Virginia Code 58.1-2292
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
1. Does not pay the taxes imposed under this chapter and diverts the proceeds from such taxes for other purposes;
2. Is a distributor required to be registered under the provisions of this chapter, or the agent or representative of such a distributor, and converts or attempts to convert proceeds from taxes imposed under this chapter for the use of the distributor or the distributor’s agent or representative, with the intent to defraud the Commonwealth;
3. Illegally collects taxes imposed under this chapter when not authorized or licensed by the Commissioner to do so;
4. Conspires with any other person or persons to engage in an act, plan, or scheme to defraud the Commonwealth of proceeds from taxes levied under this chapter;
5. Fails to remit to the Commissioner any tax levied pursuant to this chapter, if he (i) has added, or represented that he has added, the tax to the price for the fuel and (ii) has collected the amount of the tax; or
6. Applies for or collects from the Department a tax credit when the person knows or has reason to know that fuel for which the credit is claimed has been or will be used for a taxable purpose; however, if the amount of fuel involved is not more than 20 gallons, such person is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.