A major Twin Cities auto dealership group and a vehicle broker are charged in a scheme to evade Minnesota taxes by routing high-end vehicle sales through shell companies.

Prosecutors allege the company and the broker participated in a scheme that resulted in more than $350,000 in estimated unpaid motor vehicle tax payments between March 2020 and August 2023.

According to the criminal complaint, Walser Automotive Group, based in Edina, is the parent company of several Walser-branded new car dealerships across the Twin Cities. It also controls Walser Preowned Sales, a licensed used motor vehicle dealer with offices in Edina and a physical location in Eagan. Investigators say the structure of those businesses was used to move new vehicles through Montana LLCs in order to bypass Minnesota tax and dealer licensing requirements.

Prosecutors allege the operation relied heavily on William Fredrick Ward, 58, of Orono, an experienced automotive broker who worked under contract with Walser beginning around 2017, according to the court documents. Ward is charged separately with felony motor vehicle tax evasion and a misdemeanor count of brokering motor vehicles without a license. Court records show Ward did not hold a Minnesota motor vehicle dealer or broker license during the period covered by the charges.