Ciaran Dillon, Wire Fraud, Ohio 2018

CLEVELAND – A former high-ranking executive at a chain of Irish pubs has been charged with defrauding multiple states out of over $1 million in sales tax revenue.

Ciaran Dillon, 56, of Solon, Ohio, was named in the indictment and officially charged with two counts of wire fraud, according to a recent indictment.

The alleged crimes took place between January 2010 and May 2018, during which time Dillon served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of CDG Acquisition, LLC, the parent company of Claddagh Irish Pubs.

According to the indictment, Dillon directed a company accountant to underreport and underpay sales tax to various states where the restaurant chain operated, including Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The indictment alleges that Dillon's scheme involved instructing the accountant to edit the company's sales and sales tax figures, file false tax returns, and pay states the amount he instructed, resulting in the underpayment of over $1 million in sales tax revenue.

The alleged crimes were investigated by the Cleveland FBI and are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alejandro A. Abreu. The case is ongoing, and Dillon has yet to be convicted or sentenced.

Ciaran Dillon, Defendant: 56, of Solon, Ohio

Charges: 2 counts of wire fraud

City and State: Cleveland, Ohio

Crime Date: January 2010 – May 2018

Outcome: Ongoing case, no sentence or conviction yet

Dollar Amount: Over $1 million in sales tax revenue defrauded

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/former-cfo-claddagh-irish-pubs-parent-company-charged-defrauding-states-out-more-1