Commonwealth v. Boyle

576 A.2d 967, 394 Pa. Super. 513, 1990 Pa. Super. LEXIS 924
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedMay 2, 1990
DocketNo. 00116
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 576 A.2d 967 (Commonwealth v. Boyle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Boyle, 576 A.2d 967, 394 Pa. Super. 513, 1990 Pa. Super. LEXIS 924 (Pa. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

MONTGOMERY, Judge.

The appellant, William G. Boyle, files the instant appeal following his conviction, after a jury trial, on seven counts of failing to file timely Pennsylvania sales tax returns. The appellant was sentenced to pay a fine of $1,000.00 and to undergo a term of not less than two months :ior more than six months imprisonment on the first count, and was sentenced to a fine of $1,000.00 each on the other six counts, with imprisonment suspended on those counts. He was also ordered to pay the costs of prosecution. He thereafter filed a Motion to Modify Sentence, which was denied by the trial court. Numerous claims of error are asserted by the appellant in support of this appeal.

It is appropriate that we initially review the history of the case, as well as the facts educed at the trial which are pertinent to this appeal. The criminal information which was originally filed against the appellant on September 12, 1984, charged him with 14 counts of willfully failing to file sales tax returns and 14 counts of willfully failing to remit sales taxes due between August, 1982 and October, 1983. [518]*518It was asserted that the appellant’s conduct was in violation of Section 268(b) of the Tax Reform Code of 1971, Act of March 4, 1971, P.L. 6, No. 2, art. II, § 268(b), 72 P.S. § 7268(b).1

After the initial information was filed against him, Boyle filed motions challenging the jurisdiction of the Crawford County Court of Common Pleas with regard to these charges. His request for dismissal of the criminal information was denied by the Court of Common Pleas of Crawford County, and an appeal was instituted to our court. After consideration, our court ruled that the appellant’s challenge to the jurisdiction of the Crawford County court was proper. See Commonwealth v. Boyle, 347 Pa.Super. 602, 500 A.2d 1221 (1985). The matter was thereafter appealed to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which reversed the decision of our court, and remanded the case for a continuation of the criminal proceedings. See Commonwealth v. Boyle, 516 Pa. 105, 532 A.2d 306 (1987). In its ruling, the Supreme Court held that Crawford County had appropriate subject matter jurisdiction and venue to try the charges against the appellant.

After the remand, Boyle filed further pretrial motions, challenging the constitutionality of the statute under which he was charged, and the sufficiency of the criminal information. Such motions were denied by the trial court. On March 7, 1988, the Commonwealth filed an amended information, which omitted seven of the counts charging Boyle with failure to file sales tax returns which had been included in the original information. Seven counts of willful failure to file sales tax returns and 14 counts of willful failure to remit sales taxes remained.2 Boyle was arraigned [519]*519on the new charges and subsequently again filed similar pretrial motions to those he had previously submitted, challenging the constitutionality of the statute. The trial court again denied these motions. Additional pretrial motions were also filed but denied by the trial court. The jury trial commenced in Crawford County on May 16, 1988.

The evidence in support of conviction demonstrated that Boyle, an attorney, incorporated Meadville Foods, Inc. in 1971, for the operation of a restaurant business. The appellant was the president and only officer of the corporation and owned all of its stock. The restaurant opened in 1972 and the corporation contemporaneously applied for and received a state sales tax license from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

During the period relevant to the prosecution in this case, the operation of the restaurant was handled by a manager, who collected appropriate state sales taxes and deposited them in a corporate bank account. The appellant had exclusive control over this account. The manager did not prepare state sales tax returns for the business. Instead, the manager forwarded the returns and other relevant information to Boyle for the filing of sales tax returns, and for remittance of the tax payments.

The evidence showed that sales taxes were collected in the restaurant’s operation between June, 1982 and September, 1983, but were not remitted to the Commonwealth. Further, required monthly sales tax returns were not filed with the Commonwealth for the period between March, 1983 and September, 1983. While such taxes and returns were eventually remitted and filed, such action was not taken until after the criminal proceedings were instituted by the Commonwealth in the case.

The evidence indicated that in approximately February, 1983 the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue began audit proceedings of the corporation sales tax returns for the period commencing in March, 1980. The appellant met with an auditor from the Department of Revenue in the course of this auditing procedure. The auditor testified that he [520]*520determined that Boyle was the taxpayer because Boyle was listed as the owner on the sales tax license. He related that he contacted Mr. Boyle in his office, at. the phone number listed on the sales tax application. During the course of their meetings, the appellant acknowledged to the auditor an awareness that he was tardy in sales tax return filings and tax payments.

When they met on March 4, 1983, Boyle showed the auditor several boxes of records which contained delinquent returns. The auditor also provided testimony that the returns of the corporation were signed by Boyle, naming him as president and lawyer. The auditor and Boyle apparently had several subsequent meetings to review the sales tax records. During a subsequent meeting, the auditor provided Boyle with an updated license application which Boyle signed as president, on behalf of the corporation.

The Commonwealth also presented evidence that during a September, 1983 meeting, with a representative of the Department of Revenue, Boyle stated that he was the owner of the restaurant, the corporate president, and the only officer. He also admitted that he had the responsibility for preparing, filing and paying the returns. During the course of the investigation, the appellant provided the investigator with bank records pertaining to the corporation’s restaurant operation during the period in issue. They showed substantial monies were available to the corporation throughout the period. During 1982, the average monthly balance amounted to approximately $78,000.00, and in 1983, the ending monthly balance was approximately $33,000.00. In his defense, Boyle asserted that he did not file the returns for the period in question because he believed that he was in the progress of an audit, and he wanted to work with the Department of Revenue representatives to bring the corporation’s state tax filings and payments current.

The jury acquitted Boyle on the 14 counts relating to the failure to pay sales taxes. However, he was convicted on the seven counts which charged him with failures to file sales tax returns. Following the denial of post-verdict [521]*521motions, Boyle was sentenced. The appellant filed a motion to modify his sentence, which was denied by the trial court. Thereafter, the appellant filed this appeal.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Commonwealth v. Wood
637 A.2d 1335 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1994)
Commonwealth v. Boyle
625 A.2d 616 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1993)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
576 A.2d 967, 394 Pa. Super. 513, 1990 Pa. Super. LEXIS 924, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-boyle-pasuperct-1990.