Husband of St. Pete Rep. charged with stealing state funds and owing over $100,000 in taxes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The husband of State Rep. Linda Chaney has been charged with stealing state funds.

Investigators say William Yovic, who runs a business selling motorcoaches on Ulmerton Rd., owes more than $100,000 in sales taxes.

William Yovic, the husband of State Rep. Linda Chaney.

"At the end of the day, the state of Florida keeps track of who's paying their taxes and who isn't," said legal analyst Anthony Rickman.

The backstory:

Investigators say Yovic didn't pay what he owed from December 2022 to January 2024, totaling around $105,000.

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Investigators with the Florida Department of Revenue wrote, "the sales tax monies were used to run the business and that he intended to pay the sales taxes due with the profit he would obtain from the sale of one of his coaches."

State Representative Linda Chaney.

"They gave him the opportunity to pay those taxes," said Rickman. "And they gave another opportunity to pay those taxes."

Dig deeper:

Yovic is the husband of State Rep. Linda Chaney (R-St. Petersburg), the vice-chair of the state administration budget subcommittee.

She cites her husband's career as an entrepreneur on her campaign website.

The campaign website of State Rep. Linda Chaney touting her husband's experience as an entrepreneur.

Court documents show that Chaney first discovered the discrepancies in the company's books.

"At the end of the day, this defendant stands charged alone," said Rickman. "His wife is not charged this offense."

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Yovic told investigators he had been the victim of fraud by two former employees, "which cost him a substantial amount of profit."

His lawyer, Brett Metcalf, wrote to Fox 13 that those employees "systematically stole over $400,000 from him and his business. Since discovering this crime, Mr. Yovic has been diligently working to repay any debt owed to the state. We are confident Mr. Yovic will reach a quick resolution with the state and that he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. I am equally hopeful that the real bad actors will be held to account."

Two open cases in Pinellas County court show two people being charged with stealing from Yovic.

Two open cases in Pinellas County court show that two people are charged with stealing from Yovic.

However, investigators wrote that they subpoenaed his bank documents and found that he had enough to cover what was due.

Yovic now faces a felony.

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"He does look at the possibility of going to prison," said Rickman. "Now, one of the ways to avoid prison is paying the state of Florida those taxes."

What's next:

Yovic's case will next be heard in Pinellas County Court on March 24th.

The Florida Department of Revenue says, "Businesses that collect but fail to remit sales taxes steal funds that go toward public services at the state and local level."

The lawyer for the two people charged with stealing from Yovic has not yet responded to Fox 13's request for comment.

The Source: FOX 13's Evan Axelbank collected the information in this story.

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