TAMPA, Fla. — A Fort Myers man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for failing to pay over taxes that he withheld from his employees’ paychecks.
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Timothy Meade operated a prison phone call service under several business names. He reportedly did not pay over $900,000 in taxes and allegedly changed the call service’s names and bank accounts to thwart collection efforts by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to court documents and evidence presented in court, from 2011 through 2021, Mr Meade withheld taxes from his employees’ paychecks but did not pay over to the IRS the full amount of the taxes he withheld. He also did not pay the business portion of his employees’ Social Security and Medicare taxes.
The IRS attempted to collect taxes, but Meade changed the call service’s name and bank account to avoid paying, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
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In total, Mr Meade caused a tax loss of $971,130 to the IRS, said the DOJ.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Sheri Polster Chappell for the Middle District of Florida ordered Meade to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $971,130 in restitution to the United States.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Lani Rosado-Espinal of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Tampa Field Office made the announcement.
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The IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Brian Flanagan and Curtis Weidler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.
