PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Johnston man has paid $25,000 in restitution to the state of Rhode Island after pleading no contest to possession of unstamped cigarettes.
The attorney general’s office says 61-year-old Wad Alkhiamy entered his plea this week. He owns AJ’s Variety and Deli in Johnston. He paid the restitution under the terms of the plea agreement.
Authorities say Alkhiamy was arrested in 2011 in a sweep by Rhode Island State Police and the state Department of Revenue. A court-authorized search turned up unstamped cigarettes in his store, home and vehicle. Cigarettes bearing the Virginia stamp were also found.
It’s illegal to sell cigarettes in Rhode Island that do not bear the state’s special tax stamp.
All the contraband cigarettes were seized and ordered destroyed.
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