An Orlando jury yesterday found 54-year-old Daniel M. Metz, an Oviedo engineer, guilty of filing false claims and obstructing the IRS.
A federal jury delivered the verdict in a case brought by the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. Metz faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for the false claims charge and a maximum penalty of three years for the obstruction charge.
Metz was indicted on August 19, 2012. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 28, 2013, before Senior District Judge Gregory A. Presnell.
The case began with an IRS civil audit of Metz’s business account in 2009. During the audit, the IRS auditor realized that Metz had not filed personal tax returns for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007.
After being told about the missing returns, Metz prepared the returns and attached false 1099s that he also had prepared. He then mailed the returns to the auditor. The IRS auditor later requested records from Metz’s personal bank accounts, which confirmed that the 1099s were false.
Had the returns been processed, Metz would have received approximately $330,344 in refunds from the IRS. The IRS eventually discovered the false returns and never processed them.
Metz also attempted to hinder the IRS’s investigation by filing a lawsuit against the IRS Commissioner and the special agent conducting the criminal investigation. That lawsuit was ultimately dismissed.
The evidence presented at trial also showed that Metz filed personal returns using false 1099s in 2009, which canceled out almost $500,000 in tax debt he owed to the IRS.
The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tanya Davis Wilson.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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