If You Want to Go to ClubFed…

…The simplest, fastest, and easiest method (via the tax world) is to withhold employment taxes and not remit them to the IRS. This is always investigated. But at least once a month I see yet another example.

Take the case of Bernard Haag of Piedmont, South Dakota. Mr. Haag was the president and sole stockholder of a corporation, and the sole member of a limited liability company. Through these entities he owned a day care facility. So far, so good. He withheld taxes from his employees’ wages. And as the Department of Justice press release notes, “…[He] willfully failed to pay over those taxes to the United States for all of 2005 through 2011, and three quarters of 2012. Haag also willfully failed to pay the employer’s portion of taxes on wages paid to employees of Big Dog and Concept Development for all of 2005 to 2012. Rather than paying over the taxes, Haag used a portion of the withholdings for his own personal use.”

Adding to his misery he filed for bankruptcy, and also was convicted of concealment of bankruptcy assets. In total, he got 18 months at ClubFed and must make restitution of over $300,000. A helpful hint that I’ve repeated for over ten years: Don’t do this! You will get caught.

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