Holt Being Investigated for Tax Evasion
Former Erie County legislature chairman George Holt is being investigated for possible tax evasion. As Senior Correspondent Rich Newberg reports, Holt could face criminal charges on the sales and income taxes he may owe.

George Holt has been accused of failing to pay income tax on lottery winnings and withdrawals from pension funds, among other things.

Erie County District Attorney Frank Clark said, “We’re talking about, probably, a liability somewhere in the neighborhood of somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. During that same period, he was also audited for failure to pay sales tax with a family restaurant.”

Mattie’s Restaurant had undergone an expansion around the time in question, a time when Holt began dealing with Erie County’s mounting fiscal crisis.

Clark will have to decide if Holt just fell behind, or tried to pull something over on the state.

It’s the sales tax question that now has Clark’s attention.

Clark said, “I think we’re talking about, one: ‘What is that tax liability?’, and two: ‘Is the failure to having paid it something which is more inadvertant, or is it something that is more willful or intentional?’ ”

George Holt, we’ve learned, is working out a payment agreement with the federal government.

It’s the state that’s giving him a hard time.

This whole issue came to light last year, the problem I have is the non payment of sales tax receipts. This is money that is collected from each and every customer and it’s the responsibility of the business owner to send it to the state. He didn’t, he kept it, used it or spent it. Is this the example a elected offical should be making?

It would be a different story all together if he fell behind in his property taxes or owed money for income taxes and worked out a payment plan. This is money that was collected, end of subject.