Springfield – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today charged three men who own and operate a more than a dozen Central and Southern Illinois gas stations for allegedly underreporting more than $50 million in sales from 2019 to 2022, which produced more than $4 million in tax liability.
Roger Multani, 29, of Peoria, Illinois, and brothers Surinder (Paul) Singh, 34, and Jitender (Jay) Singh, 33, both of Indianapolis, Indiana, were charged in a Peoria County Circuit Court and Sangamon County Circuit Court with multiple counts of theft, fraud and tax evasion.
“Individuals who underreport sales taxes are stealing from the state and from the residents in their communities who rely on the important programs and services stolen tax revenues are intended to fund,” Raoul said. “I appreciate the continued partnership of the Illinois Department of Revenue as we work together to hold these individuals accountable.”
Raoul’s office alleged that between Jan. 1, 2019 and July 20, 2022, the three men collected millions of dollars in taxable revenue from customers and failed to remit the collected sales tax to the state of Illinois.
The investigation was led by the Illinois Department of Revenue (IDOR).
“Fraudulent business owners who underreport their income not only cheat the IDOR and Illinois taxpayers, but also other businesses that comply with their tax obligations and seek to compete on a level playing field,” said IDOR Director David Harris. “Today’s indictments demonstrate that there is a serious price to pay for this type of conduct and IDOR will continue to work closely with the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute those who break the law.”
The public is reminded that the defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Altogether, Multani was charged in Peoria and Sangamon counties with one count of theft of property over $1 million and 15 counts of theft of government property over $100,000, all Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison; three counts of theft of government property over $100,000 and 14 counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, all Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison; three counts of sales tax evasion between $10,000 and $100,000, all Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Altogether, Jay Singh was charged in Peoria and Sangamon counties with one count of theft of property over $1 million and 15 counts of theft of government property over $100,000, all Class X felonies punishable by up to 30 years in prison; three counts of theft of government property over $100,000 and eight counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, all Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison; three counts of sales tax evasion between $10,000 and $100,000, all Class 2 felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison; and one count of wire fraud, a Class 3 felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Paul Singh was charged in Peoria County with five counts of sales tax evasion over $100,000, Class 1 felonies punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The next court date for all three men is Oct. 26 in Peoria County. Multani and Jay Singh will also appear Nov. 2 in Sangamon County.
Raoul’s office alleged the men underreported over $50 million in sales from the following Illinois gas stations, which they own and operate:
Deputy Bureau Chief Victor Turla and Assistant Attorney General Mansoor Broachwala are prosecuting the cases for Raoul’s Special Prosecutions Bureau.
