Prosecutors say a Southeast Alaska couple failed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in income taxes from their commercial fishing venture, and they're now facing criminal charges.
The U.S. District Attorney's Office said Wednesday that Archie and Roseann Demmert of Klawock failed to pay more than $400,000 in taxes over the course of 13 years.
The Demmerts were charged Wednesday with four counts of failure to pay taxes, from 2011 to 2014. They do not face charges on all 13 years due to a six-year statute of limitations.
The couple filed tax returns but did not pay the required taxes, the charges allege.
The maximum sentence is one year in prison for each count, plus restitution and monetary penalties.
Court records show that the couple faced a civil suit in 2015, also for failure to pay taxes.
Archie Demmert is listed as the president of Klawock Cooperative Association, a tribal organization in the Southeast Alaska town of about 750 people. Neither Archie nor Roseann Demmert could be reached Wednesday evening for comment.