Lawfuel – Troy A. Eid, United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, and Terry L. Stuart, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, announced today that a federal grand jury in Denver, Colorado returned an indictment charging MICHAEL P. EWING, age 55, of Aurora, Colorado, with tax evasion and mail fraud.
According to the indictment, EWING was an employee of Graebel, a moving and storage company. From 1993 through 2005, EWING engaged in a pattern and practice of submitting to Graebel false, fraudulent, and fictitious check requests and expense reports. As part of the affirmative acts of the evasion, EWING allegedly made false, fictitious, and fraudulent representations on check requests and expense reports, he forged signatures of Graebel executives, managers, and employees on check requests, and he prepared and submitted false, fraudulent, and fictitious documents in support of check requests and expense reports.
The indictment alleges that EWING received by fraudulent pretenses more than $25,000 a year for the years of 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. In addition, EWING prepared and filed his personal income tax returns, omitting disclosure of the money he received from Graebel.
Counts one through five allege tax evasion, which carries a penalty of not more than 5 years in federal prison, and up to a $100,000 fine, per count.
Counts six through twenty three allege mail fraud, which carries a penalty of not more than 20 years imprisonment, and up to a $100,000 fine, per count.
“There are severe criminal penalties for people who fraudulently obtain money and then attempt to evade their income taxes,” said U.S. Attorney Troy Eid.
“All income, regardless of the source, is fully taxable and the taxpayer is ultimately responsible for their tax liability,” said Terry L. Stuart, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation, Denver Field Office.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS CID).
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Haried.
The charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
