Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration Commissioner Lindsey Stepp announce that on October 1, 2024, Jason Curtis, age 51, of Deerfield, New Hampshire, was sentenced to 12 months in the House of Correction, with all but 30 days suspended, and placed on probation for a period of 10 years. Mr. Curtis previously pleaded guilty to one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Tax Evasion, and one felony count of Conspiracy to Commit Perjury in a Tax Report. The defendant’s terms of release include conditions that he not work in the timber industry, and that he pay restitution to the State in the amount of $45,241.46.
The evidence in this case established that the defendant, through his company Jason Curtis Outdoor Services, engaged in timber harvesting throughout New Hampshire and conspired with an employee to execute a criminal scheme which resulted in the evasion of taxes owed to the State. Landowners in New Hampshire are taxed on the value of timber harvested from their land. The defendant, in his contracts with customers, agreed to assume any liability for timber taxes assessed on a landowner for a particular timber harvest over a certain amount, and then fraudulently underreported the amount of timber harvested to ensure that the amount was never reached. The defendant and his co-conspirator accomplished this by fraudulently filling out and signing, under the penalty of perjury, tax forms required by the Department of Revenue Administration.
“Without exception, our focus is squarely on ensuring New Hampshire’s tax laws are fairly and efficiently administered,” said Lindsey Stepp, Commissioner, New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration. “We are grateful to the New Hampshire Department of Justice and to New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration Appraiser Rick Evans for their thorough and collaborative investigation, which uncovered these serious tax crimes. While the Timber Tax impacts a relatively limited number of taxpayers, it plays an essential role in responsible timber reporting, assessing, and harvesting. We are pleased with this outcome as it is critically important, we hold those accountable who attempt to evade any of our state’s taxes.”
The investigation into this case was conducted by Timber Tax Appraiser Rick Evans from the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration and Investigator Scott Gilbert from the New Hampshire Department of Justice. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Attorney General Joshua Speicher, Assistant Attorney General Joshua Harrison, and Assistant Attorney General Nicholas Chong Yen.
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