By KWMU
St. Louis, MO – A well-known name in the local car business has been indicted on 21 counts of tax and wire fraud.
James Auffenberg of Swansea is accused of running a tax scheme in the Virgin Islands along with three other men. The indictment asks that about $16 million dollars in cash be forfeited.
The indictment accuses the men of illegally using a economic development program in the Virgin Islands to gain beneifts like tax credits. The charge also accuses the men of falsely claiming to be residents of the Virgin Islands
A statement from Auffenberg's lawyers says he committed no crime. Auffenberg's name is on a number of dealerships in O'Fallon and Belleville.
Also charged were Peter Fagan, of DeLeon, Tex.; James Ferguson III, of Amarillo, Tex.; and J. David Jackson, of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.