Woman Arraigned in Connection with Failing to pay over $200,000 in taxes on Tobacco Products

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Geoffrey E. Snyder have announced that Shehnaz Vahora, 46, of Burlington, has been arraigned on charges of tax evasion and failure to collect or pay over taxes in connection with Electronic Nicotine-Delivery System (ENDS) excise tax and the failure to collect sales tax, for a total tax loss of over $230,000 over five years.

The allegations are that from 2020 through 2025, the defendant was the sole owner and sole agent of a retail company located in Woburn called Right Choice Distributors. During those years, the defendant acquired and sold smoking tobacco products and electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as vaping products, e-cigarettes, and e-liquids at her store; however, failed to pay the required excise taxes on the products she acquired for sale and did not collect nor pay sales tax relative to the sales of those products. 

On July 24, 2025, members of the Criminal Investigations Bureau of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and members of the Massachusetts State Police executed a search warrant at the defendant’s retail company, seizing 8,574 untaxed ENDS products from the premises.  In total, it is estimated that the defendant failed to pay a minimum of $199,566.22 in excise tax and $30,711.89 in sales tax.

The excise tax for electronic nicotine delivery systems is imposed by General Laws Chapter 64C, section 7E.

Shehnaz Vahora was arraigned on June 11, 2026 and released on her personal recognizance. Next date is August 6, 2026, for pretrial hearing.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Whitney Williams. This case was investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue Criminals Investigations Bureau.