Attorney General Schwalb Secures $1 Million from Political Texting Firm for Failure to Pay DC Sales Tax

Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Toskr, Inc. (doing business as GetThru), a peer-to-peer text messaging vendor that works with political and nonprofit clients, will pay $1 million to resolve allegations that the company failed to collect and pay DC sales tax for a decade. Under the terms of the settlement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), GetThru will also be required to collect and pay sales taxes on data processing services it sells to clients in the District.

OAG brought this enforcement action under DC’s False Claims Act (FCA), which enables the District to hold companies and individuals accountable for failing to pay taxes — and incentivizes whistleblowers to come forward and report tax fraud. OAG began its investigation of GetThru based on a complaint from a whistleblower, and GetThru cooperated with OAG’s investigation.

“Companies that do business in the District by making sales to our residents, visitors, businesses, and nonprofits have a legal obligation to collect and pay sales taxes — revenues which fund essential public services,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “We won’t allow businesses to freeload, or gain an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors, by avoiding taxes.”

GetThru provides political campaigns, advocacy groups, and nonprofits with access to peer-to-peer text messaging and calling software and services. Under DC law, businesses that provide products or services to individuals or entities located in the District of Columbia must collect and pay DC sales tax. GetThru is subject to DC sales tax because it sells data processing services. (Additional guidance on products and services subject to DC sales taxes is available here.)

A whistleblower filed a lawsuit against GetThru under the DC FCA. OAG independently investigated the whistleblower’s allegations and intervened in the case, alleging that from 2016 through May 2026, GetThru failed to collect and pay required DC taxes on millions of dollars of sales to customers located in the District of Columbia.

Under the terms of a settlement agreement resolving the District’s allegations, GetThru will pay $1 million to the District and will be required to collect and pay DC sales taxes moving forward.

The settlement approved by the parties and submitted to the court is available here.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Norm Anderson, Cara Reichard, Charlie Sinks; Assistant Chief Dennis Corkery; and Section Chief Graham Lake.

Background on DC’s False Claims Act

Under the District’s False Claims Act, it is illegal to knowingly conceal, avoid, or decrease an obligation to pay the District. Those who break the law can be ordered to pay up to three times the amount that they originally owed and face civil penalties.

Amendments to the False Claims Act passed in 2020 expanded OAG’s enforcement authority. The updated law allows either the District or a whistleblower—a private individual acting on behalf of the District—to file a lawsuit against a company or an individual that is underpaying or evading taxes. When a whistleblower files suit, the District can intervene. If the whistleblower’s suit is successful after the District’s intervention, the District can be awarded treble damages and penalties, while the whistleblower can be awarded up to 25% of the total amount the District recovers.

If you suspect an individual or company is submitting false claims or committing fraud against the District, report it by emailing ReportFraud@dc.gov.