Mathew Schwartz, Stealing Crash Reports, Defrauding IRS, Michigan 2024

Birmingham, Michigan, resident Mathew Schwartz, the owner and operator of the law firm Legal Genius P.L.L.C., has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the IRS and steal from an organization receiving federal funds, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to court documents, Schwartz, along with co-conspirators, took and distributed to other co-conspirators Detroit Police Department traffic crash reports, many of which were marked “unapproved” and not publicly available. The co-conspirators then used their access to these illegally obtained reports to solicit crash victims for personal injury lawyers, chiropractors, healthcare professionals, and other businesses.

Court documents also show that from 2015 through 2017, Schwartz took steps to obstruct and impede the IRS. He diverted Legal Genius business income into his personal bank account, and paid individuals performing services for Legal Genius with checks made payable to “cash,” to assist those individuals with concealing their taxable income from the IRS and the Social Security Administration.

U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Leitman scheduled sentencing for Schwartz for February 18, 2021. Schwartz faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count and a $250,000 fine for each of the conspiracy offenses. Schwartz also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Mark McDonald of the Tax Division, who is prosecuting the case.

Schwartz, the owner and operator of Legal Genius P.L.L.C., is awaiting sentencing for his crimes. His law firm, which was involved in the conspiracy, is also facing the consequences of Schwartz’s actions.

The case highlights the importance of holding individuals accountable for their actions, especially when those actions involve stealing from and defrauding government agencies and organizations receiving federal funds.

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