CEO Indicted in $1.5M La Mota Tax Case

La Mota CEO Rosa Cazares has been indicted on eight federal counts alleging she failed to collect, account for or pay more than $1.5 million in payroll taxes over eight quarters in 2020 and 2021. Prosecutors say the alleged failures involved La Mota and 503 Staffing, the payroll company whose finances Cazares controlled; the charges are allegations, and she is presumed innocent. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison on each count, along with fines and restitution. The indictment applies only to Cazares and comes amid prior reports of tax liens and unpaid bills involving La Mota and co-owner Aaron Mitchell. The company also drew scrutiny in 2023 after then-Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned over a paid consulting contract connected to La Mota while her office was auditing the state cannabis regulator.