Jose L. Echeverria, Tax Evasion, Washington 2017
A former Chelan Falls man has been extradited from Mexico to serve a 30-month prison sentence for filing a fraudulent tax return. Jose L. Echeverria, a former owner of a produce sales business, filed false individual income tax returns with the IRS from 2009 through 2012.
Echeverria underreported his income by a total of $564,292 and wired hundreds of thousands of dollars in unreported income to an account in Mexico. He used the funds to purchase land, vacation homes, and vehicles for personal use.
Following Echeverria's guilty plea to filing a false tax return in February 2017, the district court granted him permission to travel to Mexico for two months while he awaited sentencing. However, he did not return to the United States for the sentencing hearing.
On September 25, 2017, U.S. District Judge Lonny R. Suko sentenced Echeverria in absentia to 30 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and $183,191 in restitution to the IRS.
Echeverria resided in Mexico as a fugitive for nearly five years until he was arrested by Mexican authorities pursuant to an extradition warrant. On February 10, 2022, Mexico surrendered Echeverria to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The United States is grateful to the Government of Mexico for its cooperation and support of the extradition request in this matter. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division announced the most recent developments in this case.
Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, noted that even the delays caused by Mr. Echeverria were not enough to prevent justice from being served.
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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