Sheriff's deputies from Cayuga and Seneca counties executed search warrants Tuesday morning at Lakeside Trading in Union Springs and Lake Side Trading in Seneca Falls as part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion over the sale of untaxed cigarettes.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Cayuga County Sheriff's Deputies block the entrances to Lakeside Trading in Union Springs Tuesday morning as other officers removed boxes of merchandise from the store.
Cayuga County Sheriff's Deputies block the entrances to Lakeside Trading in Union Springs Tuesday morning as other officers removed boxes of merchandise from the store.
In Union Springs, the Lakeside Trading store on Route 90 had police tape around its perimeter and police were systematically removing boxes of cigarettes from inside and loading them onto a trailer.
Entrances to the store were blocked by police cars shortly after 10 a.m., and customers were not being allowed to enter the property. The store's employees were standing outside after being directed by police to leave the store.
At a 2 p.m. news conference at the Seneca County Office Building in Waterloo attended by Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann, Seneca County Sheriff Jack Stenberg and Seneca County District Attorney Richard Swinehart, police and prosecutors said the raids involved an investigation into tax evasion.
About 1.5 million cigarettes were confiscated Tuesday, and prosecutors said that possession of more than 10,000 untaxed cigarettes is grounds for felony tax-evasion charges.
No arrests were made Tuesday, but Budelmann said investigators will try to determine who in the Cayuga Nation leadership might be ultimately responsible for allowing tax-free cigarettes to be sold to non-Native customers and that he would likely send the case to a grand jury to seek one or more indictments.
While police said that both stores would be allowed to remain open to sell gasoline and other store merchandise, the Union Springs store remained closed late Tuesday afternoon, hours after police had left. Cayuga Nation officials were not commenting Tuesday afternoon.
For more coverage, including additional reaction and photos, see Wednesday's edition of The Citizen.
Entrances to the store were blocked by police cars shortly after 10 a.m., and customers were not being allowed to enter the property. The store's employees were standing outside after being directed by police to leave the store.
At a 2 p.m. news conference at the Seneca County Office Building in Waterloo attended by Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann, Seneca County Sheriff Jack Stenberg and Seneca County District Attorney Richard Swinehart, police and prosecutors said the raids involved an investigation into tax evasion.
About 1.5 million cigarettes were confiscated Tuesday, and prosecutors said that possession of more than 10,000 untaxed cigarettes is grounds for felony tax-evasion charges.
No arrests were made Tuesday, but Budelmann said investigators will try to determine who in the Cayuga Nation leadership might be ultimately responsible for allowing tax-free cigarettes to be sold to non-Native customers and that he would likely send the case to a grand jury to seek one or more indictments.
While police said that both stores would be allowed to remain open to sell gasoline and other store merchandise, the Union Springs store remained closed late Tuesday afternoon, hours after police had left. Cayuga Nation officials were not commenting Tuesday afternoon.
For more coverage, including additional reaction and photos, see Wednesday's edition of The Citizen.
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dan w wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:59 AM:
janedoe wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:52 AM:
Let's see how the Cayugas compete in New York State of the United States now that their huge, illegal tax advantage has been taken away. My guess is that those 2 stores are history. And deservedly so. I hope the Turning Stone is next, if they don't start paying taxes to NY. I wonder if the Oneidas are sweating.
Holiday travelers should be aware though, they may encounter some tire fires on the Thruway. "
brew1234 wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:48 AM:
quest wrote on Nov 26, 2008 12:13 AM:
The past is the past, we can't live in it, we must live in the present and plan for the future. To make reparations for past injustices is rediculous. My people were enslaved too, except my ancestors were white, but nobody cares about them. Ask a native if they can recall their ancestor who were pushed from their land, I'd put money on it that they do not know their names. How many natives are in fact benefiting from these sales,I'd bet only a few. Ever been to their reservation????
I pay taxes and so should those who choose to buy goods from Indian stores. "
jen wrote on Nov 25, 2008 9:33 PM: