A Florida Certified Public Accountant (CPA) was sentenced for multimillion-dollar tax evasion.
The Florida CPA was sentenced to 18 months in prison for avoiding over $2.2 million in income taxes.
According to court documents and statements, Ronald St. Clair attempted to hide his assets from the IRS after collecting tax debts from 2011 to 2017. After the IRS informed St. Clair that it intended to claim his assets to collect delinquent taxes, he sold real property and moved the earnings to a third-party bank account. After transferring these funds out of his own name, St. Clair used them for personal and professional purposes and purposefully neglected to declare these funds and assets while negotiating a payment plan with the IRS.
At sentencing, the government presented evidence that St. Clair spent years disguising his income and assets by hiding his money in bank accounts held by others and hiding his real estate interests by putting properties in the names of businesses not owned by him. St. Clair layered corporate companies to conceal his ownership over funds that he chose not to use to pay taxes.
Ronald St. Clair admitted one count of tax evasion. In addition to his prison sentence, St. Clair was sentenced to pay $2,343,615.01 in restitution.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida made the statement. The case was probed by the IRS Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Marissa R. Brodney of the Fraud Division’s Tax Section; Trial Attorney Aaron I. Henricks of the Criminal Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesus M. Casas of the Middle District of Florida.
“Individuals who attempt to evade paying taxes through deceptive financial practices can expect to be investigated and held accountable,” said Charles Miller, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to identifying criminal tax violations and protecting public confidence in the nation’s tax system.”
The Department of Justice announced the formation of the Fraud Division, which is dedicated to investigating and punishing individuals who perpetrate fraud against the American people. The DOJ’s efforts to combat fraud complement President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort led by Vice President J.D. Vance to eradicate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
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