A federal jury in Minnesota has convicted a Hopkins man of tax evasion, leaving him facing a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 per count.
Daniel Berglund, 64, was found guilty of all four counts of tax evasion by a federal jury in St. Paul, Minnesota. The verdict comes after a five-day trial before Judge Susan Richard Nelson.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Berglund was the owner and sole employee of Faith Software (FAITH) where he worked as a computer language instructor. Despite earning a substantial income annually through FAITH, Berglund did not file any individual income tax returns since 1997, and never once filed a corporate tax return of any kind on behalf of FAITH.
The investigation revealed that Berglund took numerous steps to hide his income from the IRS, including giving his FAITH clients a fabricated Tax Identification Number to prevent their payments from being reported to the IRS as income attributable to him, depositing clients’ payments into accounts where the funds would not be traceable to him, and converting his income into silver that he stashed in concealed locations in his home.
Berglund’s evasion resulted in a total tax debt of approximately $146,806.
The case was the result of an investigation conducted by the IRS Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of IRS Field Collections.
Berglund faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 per count. A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew S. Ebert and Kimberly A. Svendsen tried the case.
Daniel Berglund, the convicted tax evader, must now face the consequences of his actions. The verdict serves as a reminder that tax evasion will not be tolerated and those who attempt to cheat the system will be brought to justice.
Related Federal Cases
- Donald Gibson, Tax Evasion and Financial Instrument Fraud, Minnesota · Washington
- Charles Randall Sorensen, Tax Evasion, Minnesota 2015 · Illinois
- Tax Evasion Lands Minnesota Business Owner in Hot Water · South Dakota
- James Francis Volin, Tax Evasion, Minnesota 2014 · Minnesota
- Mohamed Abdi, Tax Evasion, Minnesota 2007 · Minnesota
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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