Trial set in Kona state tax fraud case
A 74-year-old Kailua-Kona woman who faces multiple violations of state tax laws in regard to her house-cleaning business pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Third Circuit Chief Judge Wendy DeWeese set a jury trial at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 11 for Georgia K. Santos.
Santos pleaded not guilty last month to five counts of willful failure to collect, account for and pay withholding taxes for Kahealani Property Services LLC and 12 counts of willful failure to file required state tax returns for general excise and withholding taxes.
DeWeese also scheduled a hearing at 10 a.m. July 10 regarding a motion filed by Mark Kawata, Santos’ Honolulu-based attorney, to determine if statements Santos allegedly made to authorities in her case were done voluntarily.
In addition, the judge ordered the state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting Santos, to turn over all existing police reports and test results to the defense.
The five failure to collect charges are Class C felonies that carry a maximum potential sentence of five years each, and are for tax years 2018 through 2022. The dozen failure to file returns charges are misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and are for tax years 2018 to 2023.
The felony charges also carry a potential fine of $100 per charge, while the misdemeanor charges carry potential fines of $25,000 each.
The state’s business search webpage is offline for redesign, but Santos is listed as the sole proprietor of Kahealani Property Services by the Better Business Bureau. Court records indicate she has no prior criminal record in 91直播.
Santos is free on $10,000 bail.
Email John Burnett at john.burnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
