In the ongoing saga of the legal troubles surrounding Nexus, a company formerly based in Verona, one of its former owners has been released from federal custody to prepare for trial in December. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
In the midst of several ongoing criminal and civil cases against the business' leaders, Richard Moore has been released from federal custody on a $15,000 bond ahead of his trial on 18 charges of tax evasion and fraud. The trial is scheduled to begin December 2nd.
In 2021 Moore was charged with 10 counts of failing to pay over $1.5 million in income, Medicare, and Social Security taxes to the IRS that came out of Nexus employees' paychecks. He was later charged with two counts of preparing a false tax return. In September, Moore was charged with an additional six counts of tax fraud, totalling $300,000 which prosecutors allege Moore pocketed after the initial indictment.
Moore had been taken into federal custody after serving a nine-month sentence on a perjury charge in Augusta County, as the News Leader previously reported.
Federal prosecutors argued against Moore's release in a hearing in Harrisonburg on Friday, saying that even though he no longer owns Nexus, which now "appears to be defunct," he does still own the store Gamer Oasis in Harrisonburg and its parent company, Entlest Brands, Inc. They said that since Moore is responsible for paying over employment taxes to the IRS between now and his trial, he has the opportunity to break the law again and should remain incarcerated. The prosecutors presented exhibits showing that Entlest Brands demonstrated "irregularity" in paying these taxes over the past year.
However, Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth K. Dillon noted that taxes were paid, if inconsistently. She accepted an offer from Moore's current attorney, Mario Williams, to hire a certified public accountant by 5 p.m. on Monday who would be responsible for paying over those taxes. With that condition, Dillon ordered Moore's release on Friday, noting that if she did not receive the accountant's agreement on Monday, Moore would be re-arrested.
In a separate case, Gamer Oasis is currently going through eviction proceedings in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham General District Court. The property owner, Mick or Mack LLC, claimed the business owed $34,000 in unpaid rent since January, plus late fees. The landlord had requested the business vacate the premises by September 15th, but it appears to still be in operation. A hearing is scheduled in that case for November 12th.
