EUGENE, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Eugene returned an indictment today charging an Oregon restauranteur with tax evasion and hiding cash from his businesses.
Meeraali Shaik, a Corvallis, Oregon resident and the owner of Evergreen Indian Cuisine, has been charged with one count of tax evasion.
According to court documents, Shaik owned and operated Evergreen Indian Cuisine locations in Eugene and Corvallis. From before 2013 and continuing until 2017, Shaik is alleged to have willfully attempted to evade the assessment of personal income taxes by, among other illegal acts, providing his tax preparer with incomplete bank and income records and false information regarding the cash receipts of his restaurants. Shaik used a portion of the underreported cash receipts to pay mortgage payments on properties in Eugene, Corvallis, and Chandler, Arizona and made wire transfers to a bank account in India.
Shaik will make his initial appearance in federal court before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on November 2, 2021. During his first appearance, Shaik will be arraigned, and a jury trial date will be set.
If convicted, Shaik faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, three years’ supervised release, and a $100,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation with assistance from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin W. Bruce is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.