Wake County Businessman Pleads Guilty in State Tax Case

RALEIGH – A Cary businessman pleaded guilty Monday in Wake County Superior Court to felony charges filed by the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

Robert H. Blair, 57, of 110 Cannon Run, Cary, pleaded guilty on September 22, 2014 to four counts of Embezzlement of State Property.

Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood sentenced Blair to a 16-month minimum, 29-month maximum prison term. The sentence was suspended and Blair was placed on unsupervised probation for 36 months, and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. He paid full restitution totaling $128,323.89 prior to his plea.

Information presented in court showed that Blair, a corporate officer of ASP Integrated Systems Inc., aided and abetted the corporation to embezzle, misapply and convert to its own use $55,997.51 in North Carolina sales tax and $22,052.38 in Wake County sales tax, during the period January 1, 2010 through March 31, 2013. During this period of time, Blair held the position of President and was the responsible officer of ASP Integrated Systems Inc., which was under a duty to collect, hold in trust, and remit sales tax to the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

The charges against Blair resulted from an investigation by a special agent with the Department’s Criminal Investigations Section in Raleigh.