Owner of Fermental pleads guilty to tax embezzlement

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The owner of Fermental has pleaded guilty to felony tax charges, according to the NC Department of Revenue.

Steven Ronald Gibbs, 44, entered guilty pleas Tuesday to four counts of embezzlement of state property and four counts of embezzlement of New Hanover County property. He was first charged back in June.

Fermental is a shop that sells craft beer and wine in Ogden.

Gibbs received a suspended sentenced of 16-29 months and supervised probation for three years. He will also be placed under electronic house arrest for a period of 120 days, pay a $5,000 criminal fine and complete 100 hours of community service work.

The state confirms Gibbs paid $44,059.20 in restitution prior to the plea.

A news release states that information presented in court showed that Gibbs, owner and responsible person of Fermental Inc., “aided and abetted the business to embezzle, misapply, and convert to its own use $44,059.20 in North Carolina and New Hanover County sales tax during the period September 1, 2014 through August 31, 2017.”

During this period of time, officials say Gibbs was the responsible person of the corporation and was under a duty to collect, hold in trust, and remit North Carolina State Taxes to the North Carolina Department of Revenue.

Kristen Gibbs, owner of Fermental and wife of Steven Gibbs, released a lengthy statement to the media saying in part, “After negotiation, accepting the state’s final plea offer was a very difficult decision to make for my husband and our family, but I believe it was the best decision considering the circumstances and the need to move forward. This unfortunate legal dispute has been ongoing for several years. Its conclusion is a welcoming moment in a lengthy and unnecessary conflict that has adversely altered my life and business, postponing numerous opportunities for growth and success.  But we are still here. Fermental is not going anywhere.”

You can read the rest of the statement here. 

The charges against Gibbs resulted from an investigation by special agents with the Department’s Criminal Investigations Division in Raleigh.