This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Utah businesswoman once accused of stealing Olympic memorabilia is facing more allegations of criminal wrongdoing.
The Utah Attorney General's Office alleges Constance Lynn Millet, 56, owes nearly $169,000 in state sales taxes that she refused to pay as of February 2013 in connection with her business My Finer Consigner.
In late May, the Utah Attorney General's Office charged her with one count of racketeering, a second-degree felony; seven counts of second-degree felony unlawful dealing of property by a fiduciary; and 12 third-degree felony counts of failure to make a proper tax return, according to documents filed in 3rd District Court.
The A.G.'s office alleges Millet failed to pay taxes from June 2010 through December 2012 on sales made from her shops in Cottonwood Heights and Pleasant Grove after she opened a sales-tax account on April 1, 2010, according to the charging documents.
Officials say Millet never paid a cent in sales taxes — nor made any effort to do so — since opening the account. They claim she owes a minimum of $82,589.48, which with penalties increases to at least $168,981.15, charging documents show.
In December, as part of a plea agreement, Millet entered a no-contest plea to a class A misdemeanor charge of theft. She was originally charged with two first-degree felonies stemming from the theft of priceless Olympic memorabilia and other items from former well-known Olympic booster Alma Welch.
Welch's ex-husband, Tom Welch, was the chief 2002 Winter Games organizer. He later resigned as president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee — the job Mitt Romney eventually took over — following an altercation with Alma Welch.
Among the high-profile items reportedly cited in the theft case: a 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics torch, which used to hang on a wall of Alma Welch's home; boxes of Olympic paperwork that allegedly belong to the International Olympic Committee; and an autographed Lillehammer Olympic Commemorative plaque. It's not clear what has happened to the items.
In return for Millet's plea in abeyance, she was ordered to pay $25,000 in court-ordered restitution at a rate of $1,500 per month and not commit any other criminal offenses in 36 months.
The A.G.'s Office also notes that as of May 30, Millet continued to operate her consignment shop.
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