The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) filed theft and fraud charges today in Snohomish County Superior Court against the owners of Andrews Auto Glass Inc., which has locations in Everett and Seattle.

The charges were brought on behalf of the Washington State Department of Revenue (Revenue). The arraignment is expected to be set for mid January.

The AGO accused Andrew V. Onufreychuk and Vita A. Onufreychuk of falsifying their business tax returns in order to cheat the state out of at least $13,000 in sales tax. Investigators suspect the underreported amount could be higher, based on invoices, business bank account deposits and other documentation they reviewed.

Other businesses Mr. Onufreychuk has been involved with have unpaid tax warrants, including a  business he operated until 2003 and the Andrews Auto Group Inc., a new corporation he leads in addition to the glass shops.

Retail sales tax is the largest source of state revenues, supporting vital services that benefit Washington’s residents and the economy. Businesses that collect retail sales tax do so “in trust” for the state and must remit those taxes to Revenue by the due date of the tax return for the reporting period. Failure to remit the taxes constitutes theft.