FLORIDA—A Florida man has pleaded guilty to evading nearly $2.4 million in taxes on income earned from his medical equipment business, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced.
According to the DOJ, Roger Whitman, 76, who manufactured and sold medical equipment between 2002 and 2018, did not file an individual income tax return or make any tax payments since 2000. The IRS assessed nearly $800,000 in taxes against Mr Whitman for the years 2002 through 2009.
To conceal his income and assets, Whitman is said to have created a trust with his girlfriend serving as the trustee and funneled business income into bank accounts opened in the trust’s name.
According to court documents, Mr Whitman used these accounts to pay for personal expenses and, in 2019, formed a new entity to evade IRS collection efforts further. His actions resulted in a tax loss of more than $2.4 million.
Whitman is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 13. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, supervised release, and monetary penalties.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
