Legal Matters

Lafayette used car dealers accused of sales tax fraud

by Associated Press

Co-owners face felony charges for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars in state sales tax revenues.

Shawn Paul Calvit and Michael Vilchez Laue

State officials say the co-owners of a Lafayette used car dealership face felony charges for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars in state sales tax revenues.

Shawn Paul Calvit and Michael Vilchez Laue own and operate Lauco Auto Sales in Lafayette.

Investigators with the Louisiana Department of Revenue said in a news release the pair underreported the sale price of more than a hundred vehicles, shorted the state on the sales taxes and pocketed the difference.

The revenue department said the investigation determined the actual value of the cars sold was more than $1 million. But Calvit and Laue reported gross sales of just $146,000. They allegedly defrauded the state of an estimated $37,100 in sales taxes.

Online jail record do not list attorneys for the men.