Owner of sports memorabilia shop sentenced on tax charges

A man who operated sports memorabilia and card gaming shops in Pierce County has been sentenced to 30 days in prison and 10 months of home detention for failing to pay taxes on more than 50 employees.

Donald Knutsen also must pay about $235,000 in restitution, U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes said.

He was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Knutsen owned Northwest Sportscards, which for more than 27 years operated in University Place and Tacoma.

He pleaded guilty in April. He admitted he withheld income, Social Security and Medicare taxes from the paychecks of at least 51 workers, and failed to accurately report and pay the taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

“Employees rely on their employers complying with the law and protecting their hard earned retirement benefits, not succumbing to naked greed,” Hayes said in a statement. “As a result of this prosecution, not only is the defendant spending time in prison, he is required to pay restitution so that his victims can be made whole.”

Knutsen must spend three years on supervised release after he completes his home detention.

This story was originally published October 15, 2018 at 2:59 PM.