Used car dealer arrested for allegedly pocketing tax money

LONGWOOD, Fla. — State authorities said William Burden, owner of a used car lot in Longwood, was not just selling cars.

Burden was also lining his pockets in stolen cash that was supposed to go to the state in sales tax and was arrested Monday, according to authorities.

The Department of Revenue said Burden got away with it for nearly four years and made off with $50,000.

He's not alone. More than 500 other businesses across the state owe millions of dollars in back taxes.

9 Investigates first revealed the growing problem in 2010, and the half-billion dollars that delinquent businesses owed then.

Officials said it is difficult to collect the money because many businesses have closed or changed hands.

"If people let them do it, they do it," said Longwood resident Michelle Hesketch.

State officials did not say how many arrests they've made in recent years but said Burden could spend 15 years in prison and could be forced to pay all the money back, plus $10,000 in fines.

WFTV