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Portland grand jury charges La Mota executive in payroll-tax case
La Mota CEO Rosa Cazares faces an eight-count federal indictment alleging that more than $1.54 million in employee payroll taxes went unpaid over two years. The charges concern taxes tied to La Mota and 503 Staffing.
A federal grand jury in Portland indicted La Mota CEO Rosa Cazares on Oct. 15, accusing her of failing to pay more than $1.54 million in federal payroll taxes, according to the indictment.
The eight counts allege that Cazares did not properly collect, report or turn over employee income-tax withholdings and Social Security and Medicare taxes for eight consecutive quarters, from March 2020 through December 2021. The businesses named in the case are La Mota and 503 Staffing.
The allegations concern money withheld from workers’ wages for federal taxes. Cazares has been charged, not convicted. If found guilty, she could face up to five years in federal prison, as well as fines and restitution.
La Mota drew statewide scrutiny in 2023 after disclosures that then-Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan had worked as a paid consultant for the cannabis company while her office oversaw an audit involving the state agency that regulates the industry. Fagan resigned amid the controversy. The tax indictment is a separate federal case.