TUSCALOOSA, AL — Court records show City of Tuscaloosa District 7 Councilor Cassius Lanier has been charged with misdemeanor failure to pay sales taxes relating to his business dealings outside of City Hall.
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According to a deposition and charge sheet filed on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa County District Court, Jennifer E. Jordan of the Tuscaloosa County Special Sales Tax Board’s Revenue Enforcement division claimed that Lanier failed to pay outstanding sales taxes owed for one of his businesses, with his personal residence in Tuscaloosa being the only address listed in court documents.
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It should be pointed out that Lanier was not arrested by law enforcement. Rather, he was served a summons to appear ahead of the misdemeanor charge being filed.
Business entity records filed with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office show his home address is the same address associated with Cassius Daily Deals, LLC. and not with any of the other businesses connected to Lanier. However, no individual business was mentioned when Lanier was charged.
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State records show Lanier’s connections to the following existing businesses:
What’s more, details of the alleged offense are few, with Jordan on Nov. 6 only asserting that Lanier failed to pay sales taxes from February 2022 through July 2022, with businesses required by law to do so by the 20th of the following month after the sales are made.
Lanier had not responded to a request for comment from Tuscaloosa Patch as of the publication of this story. He will have his next appearance in Tuscaloosa County District Court on Dec. 13.
According to Alabama Code § 040-029-112, those found guilty of failure to file/pay sales taxes face up to a year in prison and fines ranging from $25,000 for individuals to $100,000 for a corporation.
Those convicted of misdemeanors are not barred from holding public office in the state of Alabama.
Lanier is currently in his first term on the Tuscaloosa City Council after winning a contentious race to unseat incumbent Sonya McKinstry in 2021.
As Patch previously reported, a circuit court judge voided the results of the 2021 District 7 city council race in Tuscaloosa after Lanier was deemed ineligible to run for elected office due to his past felony record that had not been pardoned prior to qualifying.
Lanier ultimately received a pardon for his felony record and the prison time he served, making him eligible to run for and serve in elected office.
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