Glendale Heights store owner sentenced for tax fraud

A man who once owned a tobacco store in Glendale Heights was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to tax fraud.

Tale Aburukbeh, 38, of Chicago admitted to withholding nearly $400,000 from the state in sales taxes collected between 2011 and 2014 at his store, Valentina Tobacco Shop on the 200 block of East Army Trail Road. He was arrested in August 2015 after an investigation by the Illinois Department of Revenue showed he underreported millions of dollars in sales over a nearly four-year span.

In addition to the prison sentence, Aburukbeh was ordered to repay the state $392,160, the amount of sales taxes he owed.

The case was prosecuted by Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office.

"This business owner illegally pocketed sales tax money that should have gone to the state to benefit Illinois residents who rely on important state programs," Madigan said.

Currently free on bail, Aburukbeh was ordered to surrender to authorities to begin serving his prison sentence no later than Jan. 17, 2017.