Puyallup Car Dealer Manager Charged with Stealing Over 131,000 in Sales Taxes

Stanley J. Stevens, the manager of the closed Puyallup Truck & RV Sales, has been charged with felony theft for allegedly embezzling over $131,000 in sales taxes from the dealership. The state Attorney General's Office asserts that Stevens failed to remit these taxes to the Department of Revenue between 2019 and 2022, while the dealership reported a mere $27,000 in revenue despite accumulating nearly $1. 9 million in deposits. Evidence suggests that Stevens pocketed funds by directing sales tax payments to personal accounts.

Previously convicted of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud, Stevens purportedly used his 19-year-old nephew as a "straw owner" to secure the dealership license. The business was permanently closed in 2022 after the Department of Licensing revoked its license due to multiple compliance failures. Investigators uncovered a lack of proper financial records and a questionable sales tax charging practice, with the dealership routinely charging 10% sales tax despite the local rate being 9. 9%. Additionally, customers revealed that they often wrote separate checks for sales tax to an unregistered LLC associated with Stevens.

This case underscores serious financial misconduct and non-compliance issues within the used-car sales sector.