Sacramento, California – California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday announced the indictment of five individuals accused of operating a years-long scheme to avoid paying California’s tobacco excise tax, costing the state over $24 million in lost revenue.
The group allegedly trafficked unlicensed tobacco products into the state and posed as legitimate distributors to evade the tax. The operation, which spanned from January 2018 to April 2024, involved shell companies and false documentation to conceal their activities, according to prosecutors.
“From the investigation to prosecution, my office is dedicated to seeing these five defendants pay for their crimes against the people of California,” Bonta said in a statement. “Schemes that defraud the government of millions in taxpayer money will not be tolerated.”…