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SPRINGFIELD, MO – Michael Jett, 60, of Independence, Missouri, will spend the next 23 months behind bars for stiffing the government on his taxes. U.S. District Judge Douglas Harpool handed down the sentence today, along with three years of supervised release and a hefty $361,078.81 restitution bill.
Jett, who sold timeshares, told his employer he was exempt from federal and state income taxes—a blatant lie that meant no money was withheld from his paycheck. But he didn’t just stop there. Year after year, from 2017 to 2022, Jett either refused to pay what he owed or filed bogus tax returns in a bid to beat the system.
IRS investigators caught on, and the scheme quickly unraveled. Jett now owes $330,649.43 to the feds and another $30,429.38 to the state of Missouri.
“This is about fairness,” said IRS-CI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Melissa McFadden. “When people cheat on their taxes, it hurts everyone who plays by the rules.” U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price added a blunt warning: “Don’t even think about dodging your taxes. You will be prosecuted, and you will lose your freedom.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney prosecuted the case, with the IRS-Criminal Investigation handling the legwork.
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