State: Clerk forged papers, stole tax money

By NICOLE YOUNG • Staff Writer • July 24, 2008 A Davidson County Clerk's Office worker forged documents so she could steal more than $2,000 in sales tax payments on vehicles, state Revenue investigators say. If convicted, she could go to prison for up to two years and have to pay thousands of dollars in fines. Tanya D. Payne, 46, of 928 Grenada Ave., was indicted by a Davidson County grand jury on 17 felony counts of forgery under $500, and one felony count of willful failure to pay collected taxes to the state. The indictments charge that from February 2005 to September 2005, Payne lied about sales prices of vehicles registered at the clerk's office and forged documents relating to those registrations, taking part of the sales tax paid by the vehicles' owners. Court documents further charge Payne to have collected and failed... [read full story]