James Kerasiotes, Tax Evasion, Massachusetts 2015
BOSTON – In a shocking turn of events, former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation James Kerasiotes, 61, has been sentenced to six months in prison for filing false tax returns.
Kerasiotes was found guilty of filing Forms 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns, that reflected only a portion of the income he earned from his consulting business during the calendar years 2010 and 2011. By underreporting his total business income, Kerasiotes evaded the payment of income taxes to the IRS.
Kerasiotes, a self-employed consultant providing strategy and business origination services to clients in the transportation and construction industries, pleaded guilty in September 2014. In January 2015, after a four-day evidentiary hearing, the Court held that the government had proven that the tax loss attributable to Kerasiotes's crimes was more than $30,000.
As a former cabinet-level official in state government whose salary was paid with tax dollars, Kerasiotes was well versed in the fundamental obligation to honestly report his income. Instead, he chose to cheat the system and undermine the work of good government.
Kerasiotes was sentenced to six months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young. He was also ordered to serve one year of supervised release, four months of which must be served in home confinement, $31,448 in restitution to the IRS and a $5,000 fine.
Kerasiotes must report to the U.S. Marshals on March 20, 2015. The case was prosecuted by Kristina E. Barclay of Ortiz's Public Corruption Unit.
Defendant: James Kerasiotes
Criminal Charge: Filing false tax returns
City and State: Boston, Massachusetts
Sentence: Six months in prison, one year of supervised release, four months of home confinement, $31,448 in restitution, $5,000 fine
Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Category: Public Corruption
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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