When approached by investigators, the business owner reportedly admitted that “he just did it” and that he “shouldn’t have done it.”
SAN ANTONIO — The Minnesota Department of Revenue announced that San Antonio native Todd Dale Merriam is facing 26 felony tax evasion related charges out of Wright County.
Officials say Merriam owns “Merriam’s Midway Shows,” which operates at several county fairs across the country, including the Wright County Fair in Minnesota.
Reports accuse Merriam of failing to file sales tax returns and pay sales tax for his business in Minnesota for tax years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and failed to file a sales tax return 2024. He allegedly failed to file individual income tax returns and pay income tax for tax years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The report goes on to accuse that Merriam consistently reported $10,000 less in “gross receipts than the gross receipts obtained from each respective Minnesota fair his business attended from 2018 to 2022.”
When approached by investigators, Merriam reportedly admitted that “he just did it,” and that he “shouldn’t have done it.”
The Wright County Attorney’s Office recently charged Merriam with the following:
- Six felony counts of failing to file sales tax returns
- Five felony counts of failing to pay sales and use tax
- Five felony counts of failing to file income tax returns
- Five felony counts of willfully failing to pay income tax
Each tax-related felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both.