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Auto shop owners stole $250K from state: DA

St. ALBANS — Authorities arrested the owners of a Merrick Boulevard auto body shop who allegedly bilked the state out of $250,000 in tax revenue, the district attorney said.

Robert Minott, 56, and his wife, 46-year-old Susan Thompson-Minott of Old Westbury, L.I., were arrested Tuesday morning on charges of tax fraud, larceny and forgery, DA Richard Brown said.

According to the prosecutor’s office, a state Tax Department audit revealed that between December 2007 and February 2011 the couple allegedly stole $250,000 in sales tax they collected from customers of the Better Auto Collision shop at 123-40 Merrick Blvd. but failed to report.

If convicted, the two face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $.5 million, the DA said.