A Minnesota olive oil shop owner faces a string of felony charges that accuse her of underreporting income and sales, evading taxes, and collecting federal food benefits she was not eligible for, with investigators pointing to bank records and large purchases that don’t line up with her reported earnings.
State authorities say Christine Mary Conrad of Moorhead, the owner of Reese & Riley’s Olive Oil & Bistro Bar and parent company Reasons LLC, was charged by the Clay County Attorney’s Office after an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The complaint covers tax years 2019 through 2024 and lists multiple felony counts tied to false filings, unpaid taxes, and wrongfully obtaining assistance.
Officials allege Conrad filed fraudulent individual income tax and sales tax returns while failing to pay what she owed. Investigators report her submitted tax returns showed taxable income between $17,332 and $28,452 in those years, yet financial records indicate spending patterns inconsistent with those figures.
Bank documents and other financial records reportedly revealed several large purchases that far exceeded the income reported on her returns. The complaint highlights an annual mortgage payment on a new-construction home of over $44,000, a sum out of step with the income she declared for the same periods.
Investigators also point to loan applications for a vehicle and a jet ski where Conrad listed much higher income amounts than on her tax returns. When investigators questioned her about those loan forms, she allegedly said, “the dollar amount people put on loan applications doesn’t mean they make that much.”
The authorities say those inconsistencies, along with underreported taxable sales and withheld sales tax collections, add up to significant liabilities. As charged, Conrad reportedly owes more than $123,000 in unpaid income taxes, penalties, and interest, and over $55,000 in sales tax, penalties, and interest.
Alongside the tax allegations, investigators discovered that Conrad had been receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits since 2019. The complaint claims she was not eligible for SNAP given the income and transactions documented by investigators, and that she wrongfully received more than $51,000 in benefits.
Because of the alleged SNAP overpayments, Revenue referred the matters to the Inspector General at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, and the complaint includes six felony counts of wrongfully obtaining assistance. The tax-related counts include multiple felonies for filing false or fraudulent income and sales tax returns and for willfully failing to pay taxes.
The complaint notes possible penalties if convicted: each tax-related felony count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both, while each wrongfully obtaining assistance felony count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $20,000 fine, or both. As with any criminal case, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Revenue officials emphasized that while most taxpayers comply voluntarily with tax laws, the department pursues enforcement when records and tips point to serious noncompliance. Many criminal referrals come from public tips, and the department maintains a 24-hour tip line for suspected tax violations: local callers may dial 651-297-5195 or toll-free at 1-800-657-3500. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by email at [email protected] or through the department’s online fraud reporting form.
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