Brooklyn Park man faces 27 felony charges for alleged tobacco tax crimes

A man in Brooklyn Park is facing over 25 felony charges for tax crimes relating to his tobacco business.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue said William Joseph Shocinski Jr. of Brooklyn Park has been charged with two felony counts of possessing untaxed tobacco products and 25 felony counts of filing a false tobacco tax return.

According to the criminal complaint, Shocinski operates multiple vape shops in various cities under the name “Cloud X Vapes” in which he allegedly evaded paying Minnesota’s tobacco tax.

He did this, according to the Department of Revenue, by having products shipped directly to Minnesota and falsely representing to the shipper that Minnesota tobacco tax would be paid. He would then allegedly have products shipped to Wisconsin, whose tax rate is lower, and then bring the products to his businesses in Minnesota.

The complaint states Shocinski told investigators he would continue to have tobacco products shipped to Wisconsin, transport them to Minnesota, charge himself $0.01, and file a tobacco tax return based on that amount.

The Department of Revenue claims Shocinski has evaded paying over $700,000 in Minnesota tobacco tax from May 2019 to January 2022.

The felony charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.