Owners of Frank's Landing smokeshop plead guilty
Friday, July 4, 2008
Filed Under:
Law
The owners of a smokeshop on Frank's Landing's Indian Community in Washington are pleading guilty.
Hank and Allison Gottfriedson will forfeit cigarettes and money earned from the Frank's Landing Indian Discount Tobacco. Federal prosecutors said the smokeshop generated $21.3 million in revenues between August 2000 and May 2007 and said the couple failed to pay $9.2 million in cigarette taxes.
The smokeshop was raided by federal and state agents in May 2007 as part of “Operation Chainsmoker." It reopened after Frank's Landing, a self-governing Indian community, entered into an agreement with the Squaxin Island Tribe to sell cigarettes.
The Nisqually Tribe claims that is has jurisdiction over Frank’s Landing's and is seeking to close the smokeshop.
Get the Story:
Smokeshop to file plea bargain
(The Tacoma News Tribune 7/3)
Related Stories:
Judge refuses to close Frank's Landing smoke shop (5/9)
Editorial: Incursion on
Nisqually Tribe's sovereignty (4/29)
Nisqually Tribe seeks control of Frank's Landing
(4/28)
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