Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Nick Brown

El Mestizo Restaurant charged with filing false tax return to cover theft of sales tax

SEATTLE – The corporation that operated El Mestizo Restaurant on First Hill was charged today with filing a false or fraudulent state tax return after failing to report sales tax it collected from customers but failed to remit to the state.

The corporation already has paid $23,509 to cover the unpaid sales tax, interest and penalties, and is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 27 in King County Superior Court.  The maximum additional penalty a corporate defendant can face for filing a false return is $10,000 per instance.

Ferguson names Kendee Yamaguchi as Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs

OLYMPIA—Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced the hiring of Kendee Yamaguchi as Director of Policy, Legislative Affairs and External Relations.  

“Kendee has a wealth of experience on a state and federal level,” Ferguson said. “Her expertise will be invaluable as a member of my senior leadership team. She brings a strong record of legislative, legal, management and outreach experience to the position that will serve our state well.”

Attorney General Ferguson joins state-federal coalition challenging S&P ratings

"Deceptive ratings played a role in nation’s financial crisis"

OLYMPIA—Attorney General Bob Ferguson today joined a group of state attorneys general and the U.S. Dept. of Justice in filing suit against Standard & Poor’s. The group alleges the credit rating agency misled investors with regard to structured finance securities backed by subprime mortgages that were at the center of the national financial crisis.