According to Patch's report on May 21st, a federal grand jury in Hartford, Connecticut has indicted a licensed tobacco wholesaler from Ellington for alleged tax fraud.
The 10-count indictment presented by the New Haven grand jury charges 35-year-old Khawar M. Khokar with one count of conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; eight counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; Connecticut federal prosecutor Vanessa Roberts Avery stated that one of the charges is for engaging in unlawful currency transactions, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The indictment was returned on May 15th. Avery stated that Cocarl appeared in front of Judge Thomas O. Farrish at the US District Court in Hartford on Monday, where he pleaded not guilty and was released on $100,000 bail.
According to the indictment and court statements, Kocar operated a tobacco wholesale business (Smokin' Wholesale LLC) that was licensed in Connecticut. The company purchased smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products from out-of-state distributors (including companies in Pennsylvania and Illinois) and sold them to retailers in Connecticut.
For approximately two years starting in May 2017, Cokarl and Smokin' Wholesale purchased tobacco products worth about $2 million from distributors. However, they failed to accurately report the value of the products imported into Connecticut to the state's Department of Revenue Services, and also did not pay the corresponding tobacco taxes owed to the state.
Federal prosecutor Avery stated that through this method, Kocar and others caused Connecticut to suffer approximately $1 million in tax losses.
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