Indopedia All Things Marijuana
A former employee at the Oregon Department of Revenue is facing a slew of criminal charges after pocketing a local dispensary’s payroll tax payment. Because federal banking laws restrict banks from protecting money from the cannabis industry, legal weed tax payments are almost always made in cash, making them easy targets for state-employed criminals.
According to the Oregon Cannabis Connection, Salem police have arrested Theodore Raymond Paulsen, 55, on counts of first degree theft, mail theft, first-degree official misconduct and just for good measure, possession of methamphetamine. Because of the banking restrictions, the stolen tax payments were in the form of Western Union money orders, and were not uncovered until state officials notified the dispensary owner that they had not received the expected payment.
Ed Medina, the victim of the crime and owner of A Better Way Medicinal Alternative in Klamath Falls, OR, told the Cannabis Connection that he received a letter from the local Department of Revenue inquiring about the supposedly missed payment, and was met with hostility when he called local law enforcement to try and rectify the situation. Even with…
