A Manistee County businessman pleaded guilty this week to failing to may more than $1 million in sales tax due from his propane business, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said.
Mark Fischer, 61, of Wellston, pleaded to guilty on Wednesday, June 17, in Ingham County to failing to report or pay sales tax and five felony counts of failure to file tax return in connection with his propane company, Fischer LPG Inc., from 2019 to 2023, Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a release.
“We count on businesses and residents to pay their fair share of taxes,” Nessel said. “When individuals break the law and steal millions that should have gone to fix our roads and improve our schools, my office will hold them accountable. This conviction ensures that vital dollars owed to the people of Michigan are collected.”
Fischer has already paid nearly $3 million to the Michigan Department of Treasury towards tax, penalty, and interest and as part of the plea agreement he and his company will pay an additional $1.1 million in restitution to the Department of Treasury, the attorney general’s office said.
As part of the plea, Fischer will be placed on a delayed sentence and, if he pays full restitution, his charges will be reduced to five misdemeanor counts of general tax violations.
Fischer was charged in December 2025 with five counts of failure to file tax return, each a five-year felony. Fischer LPG Inc. was charged with five counts of failure to file tax return.
Fischer and Fischer LPG Inc., are scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Morgan E. Cole in Ingham County’s 30th Circuit Court on July 27, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Wellston business owner to pay $4M in tax case. What state says he did
Reporting by Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lansing State Journal
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By Dan Basso, USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network
