Clarkston businessman Joseph Puertas must pay the Internal Revenue Service $1.6 million, under a settlement reached recently in a civil forfeiture case.
The case stems from nearly $5 million in cash, jewels and property allegedly belonging to Puertas that was taken by authorities nearly six years ago. Puertas was accused of selling cocaine out of his former Orion Township Megabowl business. Puertas served eight years of a 20-30-year sentence for a drug conviction before being released in 1990.
Puertas’ attorneys, the IRS and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office were before Oakland Circuit Judge Nanci Grant on June 11 to agree to the settlement. According to the agreement terms, the Puertas family will pay the IRS nearly $1.6 million and their attorneys over $382,000. The family will be returned $2 million. A federal lawsuit brought by the Puertas family against police and prosecutors has been dismissed.
Puertas is to next appear before Circuit Judge Colleen O’Brien for sentencing on seven drug and racketeering convictions. Puertas attorney has asked that sentencing be delayed until the Michigan Supreme Court can consider the ruling.
In May the Supreme Court ruled that Puertas’ 1999 drug convictions would stand.