A couple tax fraud stories piqued my interest this weekend. Both have Northern components even though one is out of Tucson.
Let’s start in Tucson, where Cameron McEwen allegedly received lots of money to mine gold in Wilcox, Arizona. Mr. McEwen, a Canadian citizen and part-time resident of Tucson, supposedly got investors to wire $3.9 million to a bank account in Nevada and an additional $1.4 million to the Bahamas. All would be fine if he filed tax returns.
But you already know where this is going, right? Well, he did file a tax return for 2003 (these investments allegedly took place between 2000 and 2004) but the government claims it’s false. That’s one charge. And he allegedly didn’t file in 2002 and 2004; that’s two more charges. The alleged amount of evasion is $309,000 on $1.1 million of income. If these allegations are proven in court, Mr. McEwen will be spending some time at ClubFed.
Next, let’s head to the last frontier, Alaska. The Summit Telephone and Telegraph Company services areas north of Fairbanks. Roger Shoffstall is allegedly the owner of Summit Telephone. Mr. Shoffstall’s business appears to gross around $500,000 annually per this filing with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
Mr. Shoffstall, though, appears to want to operate in a manner to help his profits. He’d like his after-tax profit to be the same as his before-tax profit; at least, that’s what the government alleges. He’s been indicted by a grand jury on tax evasion. He allegedly hasn’t paid his 1996 – 2003 taxes.
Whether you’re in gold mining or telecommunications, remember to pay Uncle Sam. It’s one creditor who can throw the book at you.
[…] Summit Telephone and Telegraph Company in Alaska. The company serviced areas north of Fairbanks. As I reported last September, Mr. Shoffstall wanted his after-tax profit to be the same as his before-tax profit. That’s […]