Arshad Pervez Cheema, Tax Evasion, Virginia 2021

State: Virginia
Category: White Collar Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/doctor-pleads-guilty-not-paying-employment-taxes" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A high-profile doctor has been caught in a web of deceit, as he pleads guilty to willful failure to pay employment taxes.

Arshad Pervez Cheema, a former resident of Great Falls, Virginia, admitted to the crime in a court hearing. According to court documents, Cheema owned and operated Walk-In Medical Center PC, a medical practice located in Falls Church and Herndon, Virginia.

Cheema was responsible for collecting and paying payroll taxes, which consisted of Social Security, Medicare, and income taxes withheld from his employees’ wages, as well as an employer portion. However, over a four-year period from 2012 to 2016, Cheema willfully did not pay over $500,000 in payroll taxes.

Instead, he used some of the withheld funds for other business ventures, including to open and run a restaurant in Washington, D.C. In addition, Cheema did not pay corporate taxes for Walk-In Medical Center PC, nor did he pay employment taxes for another doctor’s office, Falls Church Family Care PC, which he operated.

In total, Cheema did not pay over $2 million in employment and corporate taxes. U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2021.

Cheema faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and a fine.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg and Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh commended special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorney Casey S. Smith and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell L. Carlberg, who are prosecuting the case.

Cheema’s actions are a stark reminder of the consequences of tax evasion. The IRS takes tax evasion seriously, and those who engage in such activities can face severe penalties.

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