The former owner of a cannabis dispensary in Warren was convicted by a jury of tax evasion and obstructing the IRS, the U.S. Department of Justice said late Monday.
Ryan Richmond, of Bloomfield, faces up to nine years in federal prison.
Richmond owned and operated Relief Choices, LLC.
Between 2011 and at least 2014, Richmond concealed his profits by using cash to pay for the dispensary’s operating expenses and routing customer credit card payments through an unrelated third-party bank account, federal prosecutors said.
Richmond also misled an IRS auditor examining his income taxes in 2015 and 2016.
As a result, the IRS lost out on more than $1.5 million, according to prosecutors.
Richmond was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2021.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14.
Richmond faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion, three years in prison for obstructing the IRS, and one year in prison for the willful failure to file a tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and fines.
Subscribe to Metro Times newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
