Convenience Store Owner Busted By Dept. Of Revenue

June 26, 2009

A Destin businessman that owns convenience stores in Cantonment has been arrested on a charge that he failed to turn over sales taxes to the state.

James L. Richardson faces up to 30 years in prison and $15,000 in fines if he is convicted on theft of state funds charges, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.

Richardson and his companies own 12 convenience stores from Escambia County east to Bay County, including the Eight Eight Eighty-Eight, Inc. store at 111 South Highway 29 in Cantonment and the Learn How To Do, Inc. store on Pine Forest Road.

Investigators from the Revenue Department said that during portions of 2004 and 2005, Richardson “failed to remit all of the sales taxes that he had collected”. Officials did not release the amount of taxes that they allege Richardson did not remit.

“Individuals who collect tax but don’t send it in are stealing taxpayer dollars and gaining an unfair financial advantage over honest businesses,” said Lisa Echeverri, the Department of Revenue’s executive director. “It’s our job to ensure that Florida’s tax laws are administered fairly.”

Richardson surrendered at the Escambia County Jail.

The Florida Department of Revenue provided the following list of businesses operated by Richardson:

  • Happy Store – 14111 Front Beach Road, Panama City, FL
  • Happy Store – 1800 Thomas Drive, Panama City, FL
  • Happy Store – 3534 W. Highway 98, Panama City, FL
  • Happy Store – 1408 W. 23rd Street, Panama City, FL
  • Happy Store – 2396 U.S. Highway 331 North, Defuniak Springs, FL
  • Eight Eight Eighty-Eight, Inc. store #521 – 111 South Highway 29, Cantonment, FL
  • Learn How To Do, Inc. store #517 – 8620 Pine Forest Road, Cantonment, FL
  • Learn How To Do, Inc. store #5508 – 671 Harbor Blvd., Destin, FL
  • First Stop – 9905 N. Highway 231, Youngstown, FL
  • Emerald Express – 757 Beal Parkway N.W., Fort Walton Beach, FL
  • Emerald Express – 7822 N. Davis Highway, Pensacola, FL
  • Emerald Express – 436 Beverly Parkway, Pensacola, FL

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News