Fraudulent vehicle registration leads to tax evasion charges
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TN DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE:
Former Madison County Resident Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
JACKSON, Tenn. – The Special Investigations Section of the Tennessee Department of Revenue conducted the investigation that led to Michele Angeline Partee pleading guilty to two counts of use tax evasion.
On January 31,2025, Judge Donald Allen accepted Partee’s guilty plea to tax charges stemming from Partee’s fraudulent registration of two different vehicles at the clerk’s office in Madison County. Partee was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $1,898.50 to the State of Tennessee.
“The Department of Revenue strives to promote voluntary compliance of Tennessee’s tax laws by educating taxpayers and pursuing criminal sanctions for accountability of fraudulent actors,” Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano said. “This guilty plea underscores the department’s efforts to ensure fair administration of Tennessee’s tax laws.”
The department pursued this criminal case in cooperation with District Attorney General Jody Pickens’ Office. Citizens who suspect violations of Tennessee’s revenue laws should call the toll free tax fraud hot line at (800) FRAUDTX (372-8389).
The Department of Revenue is responsible for the administration of state tax laws and motor vehicle title and registration laws, as well as the collection of taxes and fees associated with those laws. The department collects around 87 percent of total state revenue. During the 2024 fiscal year, it collected $22.2 billion in state taxes and fees and more than $4.7 billion in taxes and fees for local governments. To learn more about the department, visit www.tn.gov/revenue.
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