A Klawock couple has been charged with four counts of willful failure to pay their individual income taxes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
A statement released Wednesday said Archie W. Demmert III and his wife, Roseann Demmert, earned income from commercial fishing through the company Vetta Bay LLC, which was owned by Archie Demmert. It was on this income that they allegedly failed to pay taxes.
The couple allegedly has not paid income tax for 13 separate tax years, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Steward, who is prosecuting the case.
“It comes to the attention of the IRS when there’s significant periods of time like that,” she said.
She added that the 13 years were not all consecutive.
“There were attempts to levy some of their assets that were successful, to pay some of the tax years that they hadn’t paid,” she said.
The Demmerts allegedly owe more than $400,000, not including penalties and interest.
If found guilty, they face a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each separate count. They also face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
The court has not yet set a date for the couple’s initial appearance.
