An Ellsworth man suspected of not paying nearly $190,000 in state income taxes began serving a 60-day jail sentence on Friday.
Cary Harper, 50, was given a deferred sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 to not paying state taxes or filing state tax returns from 2013 through 2016. As part of the plea deal with state prosecutors, Harper agreed to file and pay his state income taxes going forward.
But Harper, who on his Facebook page describes himself as a scallop fisherman, failed to comply with the terms of his deferred sentence, according to the Maine attorney general’s office. He did not make court-ordered restitution payments that total nearly $15,000, or file a return or pay state income taxes for 2022.
As a result, he recently was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but 60 days suspended. He reported to Hancock County Jail on Friday to serve the two months behind bars.
State officials did not charge Harper with violations prior to 2013, but have said he is believed to have not paid any state income taxes from 2005 to 2012, in addition to during the following four years. In all, including back taxes and interest, Harper is believed to owe the state nearly $190,000, state officials wrote in court documents.
Information about why Harper wasn’t charged with tax violations prior to 2013 was not available Monday.
