Chapter 11. Violations of California Revenue And Taxation Code >> Division 2. >> Part 31. >> Chapter 11.

It is unlawful for any person, firm, association, or corporation, or any officer or agent thereof, through false statement, trick or device, or otherwise, to do any of the following:
  (a) Obtain diesel fuel for export and fail to export it, or cause it not to be exported.
  (b) Divert diesel fuel, or cause it to be diverted, from interstate or foreign transit begun in this state.
  (c) Return diesel fuel to this state and sell or use it, or cause it to be used or sold in this state, without complying with the provisions of this part and without notifying the supplier from whom the diesel fuel was originally purchased of that act. Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706. Each shipment illegally diverted or illegally returned constitutes a separate offense. The unit of each shipment is the cargo of one vessel, one railroad car load, one automobile truck load, one truck and trailer load, one drum, one case, or one can.

It is unlawful for any supplier or other person to conspire with any person, firm, association, or corporation, or any officer or agent thereof, to withhold diesel fuel from export, or to divert it from interstate or foreign transit begun in this state, or to return it to this state for sale or use so as to avoid any of the taxes imposed by this part. Each shipment illegally diverted or illegally returned constitutes a separate offense. The unit of each shipment is the cargo of one vessel, one railroad car load, one automobile truck load, one truck and trailer load, one drum, one barrel, one case, or one can. Any person violating any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706.

Any person who acquires diesel fuel outside this state and uses the diesel fuel for the operation of a qualified motor vehicle within and without this state or the United States, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706 unless that person is an interstate user who holds a valid diesel fuel tax license or diesel fuel trip permit as defined in Sections 60120 and 60122.

Any person who makes, issues or signs a false or fraudulent claim for refund under this part is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706.

(a) Any person required to make, render, sign, or verify any return or report who makes any false or fraudulent return or report with intent to defeat or evade the determination of an amount due required by law to be made is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706.
  (b) Any person who willfully aids or assists in, or procures, counsels, or advises in the preparation or presentation under, or in connection with any matter arising under this part, of a return, affidavit, claim, or other document which is fraudulent or is false as to any material matter, whether or not the falsity or fraud is with knowledge or consent of the person authorized or required to present the return, affidavit, claim, or document is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in Section 60706.

Any violation of this part, except as otherwise provided, is a misdemeanor. Each offense shall be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand dollars ($1,000) nor more than five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding six months, or by both fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

In addition to the fine or imprisonment, or both, each person convicted under Section 60706 shall pay, in the court's discretion, up to two dollars ($2) for each gallon of diesel fuel, or portion thereof, knowingly removed, entered, blended, or delivered into a fuel tank, or possessed, kept, stored, or retained for the purpose of removal or removed, or offered for removal, or entry, or entered, or for sale, or actually sold, or offered for sale, or for the purpose of use, or actually used, or for the purpose of delivery into a fuel tank, or actually delivered into a fuel tank, or offered for delivery into a fuel tank, in violation of Section 60706, as determined by the court. Proceeds of the assessed penalty shall be distributed to the treasurer of the county in which the action was brought. After reimbursing the prosecuting agency for its costs of prosecution, and after deducting the county's reasonable costs of administration, the remaining proceeds shall be distributed to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. Funds distributed pursuant to this section to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to pay administrative costs of the board to enforce this part.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, any person who willfully evades or attempts in any manner to evade or defeat the payment of the tax imposed by this part is guilty of a felony when the amount of tax liability aggregates twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) or more in any 12-consecutive-month period. Each offense shall be punished by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) and not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or imprisonment for 16 months, or two, or three years, or both the fine and imprisonment in the discretion of the court.

In addition to the fine or imprisonment, or both, each person convicted under Section 60707 shall pay, in the court's discretion, up to two dollars ($2) for each gallon of diesel fuel, or portion thereof, knowingly removed, entered, blended, or delivered into a fuel tank, or possessed, kept, stored, or retained for the purpose of removal or removed, or offered for removal, or entry, or entered, or for the purpose of sale, or actually sold, or offered for sale, or for the purpose of use, or actually used, or delivery into a fuel tank, or delivered into a fuel tank, or offered for delivery into a fuel tank, in violation of Section 60707, as determined by the court. Proceeds of the assessed penalty shall be distributed to the treasurer of the county in which the action was brought. After reimbursing the prosecuting agency for its costs of prosecution, and after deducting the county's reasonable costs of administration, the remaining proceeds shall be distributed to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account in the Transportation Tax Fund. Funds distributed pursuant to this section to the Motor Vehicle Fuel Account shall be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to pay administrative costs of the board to enforce this part.

Any prosecution for violation of any of the penal provisions of this part shall be instituted within three years after the commission of the offense, or within two years after the violation is discovered, whichever is later.

(a) (1) Restitution orders or any other amounts imposed by a court of competent jurisdiction for criminal offenses upon a person or any other entity that are due and payable to the board may be collected by the board in any manner provided by law for collection of a delinquent diesel fuel tax liability, including, but not limited to, issuance of an order and levy under Article 4 (commencing with Section 706.070) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of Title 9 of Part 2 of the Code of Civil Procedure in the manner provided for earnings withholding orders for taxes.
  (2) Amounts imposed by a court of competent jurisdiction as an order of restitution for criminal offenses shall be treated as final and due and payable to the State of California on the date that amount is established on the records of the board.
  (b) Part 31 (commencing with Section 60001) shall apply to amounts collected under this section in the same manner and with the same force and effect and to the full extent as if the language of those laws had been incorporated in full into this section, except to the extent that any provision is either inconsistent with this section or is not relevant to this section.
  (c) Notwithstanding Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 60501), a refund or credit shall not be allowed for any amounts paid or payments applied under this section.
  (d) Amounts authorized to be collected pursuant to this section may accrue interest at the greater of the rate applicable to the amounts being collected or the rate provided under Section 6591.5 from and after the date the amounts are established on the records of the board.
  (e) Amounts authorized to be collected pursuant to this section are not subject to any statute of limitations set forth in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 60401).
  (f) Notwithstanding Sections 60441 to 60445, inclusive, or Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 7150) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code, any portion of the amounts authorized to be collected under this section that remain unsatisfied may be collected by the recording of a notice of state tax lien. The board may record or extend a recorded notice of state tax lien at any time until the amount due, including any accrued interest, is paid in full.
  (g) This section shall apply on and after January 1, 2012, to amounts authorized to be collected pursuant to this section that are due and payable to the board before, on, or after January 1, 2012.