TACOMA, WA – Brent S. Meisner, 59, a former defense contractor, will spend the next 18 months in federal prison after being convicted of tax fraud. U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton didn’t mince words at Friday’s sentencing, calling Meisner’s actions a direct “affront to the rule of law” and citing his “arrogance” as a driving factor in the scheme. Meisner was also sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $41,706 in restitution for the taxes he failed to pay.
The scheme, uncovered by federal investigators, revealed that Meisner and accomplices embezzled over $200,000 from Doyon, Ltd., an Alaska Native regional economic development corporation. Meisner, serving as president of Doyon/Cherokee – a construction company specializing in federal contracts – diverted company funds to remodel his Gig Harbor home. Workers and material suppliers understood the project to be a private renovation solely for Meisner’s benefit. The operation was carefully concealed through a network of falsified documents.
According to court records, Meisner and co-defendant Brady Farley orchestrated the fraud by fabricating subcontracts, altering accounting records, and even destroying evidence. Timecards, invoices, and bills were systematically falsified, falsely labeling expenses as costs for legitimate government projects instead of the work performed on Meisner’s home. The goal was simple: to funnel company money into a personal luxury project without detection. Meisner even allegedly threatened his superiors in Alaska with retaliation if they dared to report his illicit activities to federal authorities.
While Meisner admitted to using company funds for the remodel, he attempted to claim authorization – a claim the court clearly rejected. He further confessed to instructing a painter to create false invoices, providing a paper trail to justify the fraudulent expenses. However, Farley was acquitted during the bench trial, leaving Meisner to face the full weight of the law. The evidence painted a clear picture of deliberate deception and personal enrichment at the expense of a company entrusted with public funds.
The financial scope of the fraud extended beyond the remodel itself. Evidence presented at trial showed Meisner failed to report approximately $170,000 in income on his 2009 federal tax return. Despite reporting over $300,000 in salary and bonuses, he conveniently omitted the stolen funds, embezzled materials, and kickbacks received for his home renovation. He reported total earnings of $332,841, while failing to declare an additional $169,563 in labor and materials used for his remodel.
The investigation was a collaborative effort led by agents from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Army CID Major Procurement Fraud Unit, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). Assistant United States Attorneys David Jennings and Siddharth Velamoor successfully prosecuted the case, securing a sentence that sends a message: stealing from the government and evading taxes won’t pay – it will land you in prison.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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