Two Springfield business owners facing charges of failure to pay sales taxes are being called "habitual offenders."
Christopher Coleman, 36, of Springfield, pleaded no contest in Clark County Municipal Court on Wednesday to one count, while Murad Jallaq, 41, of Grove City, pleaded not guilty to two counts.
Coleman owns CDC Holdings LTD., which operates the Main Street Pub — licensed as Old Town Tavern — 204 E. Main St. Jallaq's license is for Marathon gas station, 2001 E. Main St.
Both were labeled as "habitual offenders," a term meaning they did not file and pay sales taxes for two months in a row or three times in a calendar year, said Gary Gudmundson, director of communications for the Ohio Department of Taxation.
In both cases, the amount of delinquent taxes was not disclosed.
Both Coleman and Jallaq will return to court regarding the misdemeanor charges. No date was set in either case by Judge Eugene Nevius.
Coleman failed to file a July 2013 sales tax return by Aug. 23 in violation of the Ohio Revised Code, according to the state. Failure to file a sales tax return is punishable by a fine of $100 to $1,000, or up to 60 days incarceration, or both, according to the state.
On Oct. 8 the state posted signs at both businesses ordering the operators to cease retail sales for delinquent sales taxes, Gudmundson said.
Jallaq's business made contact with the state that day while CDC Holdings - Coleman's business - filed returns Oct. 16, Gudmundson said. Both businesses reopened the day of those filings.
Staff Writers Jessica Heffner and Nick Blizzard contributed to this report.
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