The owner of Basement Bar and Grill in Prior Lake, who allegedly owes more than $274,000 in state taxes, has been charged with six felonies, the Minnesota Department of Revenue said Wednesday.
Stephen Lloyd Higgins, 36, of Lakeville was charged by the Scott County Attorney's Office with two counts of failing to file returns, two counts of failing to pay taxes and two counts of filing fraudulent returns.
An investigation showed sales tax returns Higgins filed in 2008 and 2009 were fraudulent and that he knowingly failed to file monthly sales tax returns between January 2010 and December 2011, the department said. Higgins' business was placed on the department's liquor posting list several times between 2008 and 2010 because of delinquent sales tax returns and payments.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
