Oregon Department of Justice

Tobacco Tax Compliance Task Force Convicts Former Albany Mayor For Violation Of State Tax Laws

Attorney General Hardy Myers today announced the conviction of Eugene Belhumeur, a former Albany area tobacco store retailer and past Mayor of Albany, for violations of the state's tobacco tax laws. Belhumeur, who owned and operated Snooky's in Albany, pleaded guilty in Marion County Circuit Court to charges of Unlawful Distribution of Tobacco Products, Engaging in Business as a Tobacco Products Distributor without a License, and Failure to File a Tobacco Tax Return.

The case was investigated and prosecuted by the state's Tobacco Tax Compliance Task Force, which includes the Oregon Department of State Police, the Oregon Department of Justice, and the Oregon Department of Revenue. Investigators confirmed that, for several years, Belhumeur illegally purchased untaxed tobacco products from a New Jersey-based tobacco distributor. Belhumeur then sold the tobacco without reporting and paying the tax owed to the Department of Revenue, a violation of state law.

Belhumeur was ordered to pay a compensatory fine, including taxes owed, of $20,800 to the Department of Revenue, perform 200 hours of community service and serve five years of supervised probation.