Copyright startribune
Last year, he was listed as one of the top 100 real estate agents in Minnesota, according to RealTrends, which ranks agents nationwide based on voluntarily reported sales numbers. His website currently features three listings over $1.6 million and notes that his clients describe him as “uniquely informed about the complex markets he serves ... and always thinking ahead.” It adds that “leaders in the Twin Cities business world” describe him as the most discreet agent they know. The Department of Revenue began investigating Mullen after learning he had not filed income tax returns since 2012. The charges allege Mullen was aware he needed to file his taxes and made calls to the Department of Revenue in 2012, 2013 and 2017 regarding his tax liability. In 2017, he said he was in the process of filing for tax years 2008-2011 and 2013-2016. The charges allege that “None of the returns for those years have been filed.” Investigators also reviewed records related to a mortgage loan Mullen and his wife signed in 2021 for the purchase of a Wayzata home. Public records show the home sold for $1.76 million and the Mullens received a $1.5 million loan. The mortgage file included two “comfort letters” that indicated they were written by “the CPA for Kevin Mullen.” In the past, comfort letters have been written by a certified public accountant for small-business owners needing to verify self-employment status. They have become less common after the subprime mortgage lending crisis in the United States from 2007-2010. The CPA told investigators that Mullen was a business associate and believed he had a verbal agreement to be Mullen’s CPA but never did tax work for Mullen. The accountant acknowledged that he drafted one of the comfort letters but did not recall drafting the second letter. Text messages supplied to the Department of Revenue showed that Mullen messaged in September 2021 that he was excited to work with the accountant. In October 2021, Mullen said he was planning to send documents over, but the CPA didn’t hear from Mullen again. When the Department of Revenue investigator called Mullen in December, he allegedly acknowledged not filing tax returns and that he needed to “hit this thing completely head-on” and “get organized and get back on track.”
