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ST. GEORGE — The owner of Zion Outfitter, a rental shop near the entrance to Zion National Park, is accused of evading over $1.8 million in taxes.
Court documents allege 42-year-old Phyllip Hallman Heaton, of Washington, failed to report over $5.4 million in sales between 2018 and 2022, and is now charged with five counts of evasion of assessment of income tax and five counts of fraud and false statements.
Investigators claim Heaton fabricated profit and loss statements by "underreported Zion Outfitter's gross receipts, falsely representing to his tax preparers that the profit and loss statements were accurate, signing and authorizing the filing of tax returns with the IRS that he knew were false, and structuring cash deposits into Zion Outfitter's checking account," according to a Department of Justice press release.
The company offers biking tours, guided tubing down the Virgin River, and trips through the famous Zion Narrows slot canyons.
Heaton's initial appearance is scheduled for Oct. 28 before a U.S. magistrate judge at the St. George Courthouse.
