St. Louis daycare operator Gwendolyn Hampton is staring down federal prison time after being indicted on five felony counts of tax evasion tied to her business, Hampton Academy, LLC. The charges allege she dodged $376,463 in federal taxes between 2009 and 2013 through a calculated scheme of underreporting income and skipping tax filings entirely in key years.
Hampton, of St. Louis City, owned and ran a daycare center that raked in $2,387,386 in revenue from 2009 to 2013. During that span, she siphoned $1,338,549 in cash and cashier’s checks from the business. Despite this flow of money, she failed to file federal tax returns in 2009 and 2011. For 2010, 2012, and 2013, she submitted false returns that deliberately understated her income and tax liability.
Federal prosecutors say the indictment, handed down January 4 by a grand jury, exposes a pattern of willful tax avoidance. The IRS Criminal Investigation division, which led the probe, emphasizes that such enforcement actions target individuals who knowingly break tax laws. “CI’s largest enforcement program is directed at the portion of American taxpayers who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their taxes,” said Karl Stiften, Special Agent in Charge of IRS CI’s St. Louis Field Office.
Hampton was taken into custody earlier today and is expected to appear in federal court this week. Each of the five counts she faces carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or fines up to $100,000. A judge will weigh the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines when determining any final penalty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tom Albus for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the probe, tracing financial records and business transactions to build the case against Hampton.
As with all federal indictments, the charges are allegations. Gwendolyn Hampton is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Related Federal Cases
- Janis Ann Edwards Pleads Guilty to $1M Tax Evasion Scheme · Oklahoma
- Kalena Winston Pleads Guilty to $70K Tax Fraud Scheme · Kansas
- Semere Tsehaye Convicted of Tax Evasion on $1.5M Hidden Income · Illinois
- Joplin Woman Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud Scheme · Missouri
- Kevin K. Williams Indicted in $1.2M Tax Fraud Scheme · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News