A former Salem restaurant owner has been ordered to pay more than $96,000 after pleading guilty to three felony counts of tax evasion in Marion County Circuit Court, according to the Oregon Department of Revenue. The case involved failures to file required quarterly payroll tax reports and remit withheld employee taxes to the state.
State officials identified the defendant as Michael Richard Pfohl. The Department of Revenue said Pfohl pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to three class C felony counts after originally being charged with 10 counts of tax evasion. The counts covered failures to file quarterly tax reports for the first quarter of 2021, the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.
Under the plea agreement, Pfohl was sentenced to 48 months of supervised probation, 80 hours of community service and a $6,000 criminal fine. The Department of Revenue said he also served three days in jail beginning Feb. 20 and was ordered to pay $90,232 in restitution. Together, the restitution and fine bring the total financial obligation to $96,232…