Owner of Utah outdoor retailer sentenced for tax fraud, ordered to pay over $2M
SALT LAKE CITY () — The owner of a Utah-based outdoor retailer was sentenced to five months imprisonment after he evaded paying taxes for six years.
In February, Phyllip Hallman Heaton, 43, of Washington City, the owner of Zion Outfitter, pleaded guilty to charges related to tax evasion.
In addition to the prison sentence, Heaton was also sentenced to 18 months of supervised release, including six months of home detention. The court also ordered Heaton to pay a $95,000 fine and $1,947,906 in restitution, which the Department of Justice said he paid in full at his sentencing.
According to court documents, Heaton evaded taxes by underreporting his income to the IRS by more than $5.4 million between 2017 and 2022. The Department of Justice said Heaton's actions resulted in him evading nearly $2 million in taxes.
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'No one can decide they are not going to pay their fair share of taxes without serious consequences,' said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. 'Mr. Heaton's sentence is one such consequence and also serves as a deterrence to others by demonstrating that tax evasion comes with serious penalties from the Department of Justice.'
Zion Outfitter, a southern Utah rental company, is situated near the pedestrian entrance of Zion National Park. The business provides rentals for bikes, tubes, and gear for canyoneering.
According to the website, Zion Outfitters' doors are still open and the company is operating as usual. ABC4 has reached out to Zion Outfitter and will update this story with any new information.
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