Denise Davis, IRS Payroll Tax Evasion, New Jersey 2024

CAMDEN, N.J. – A brazen attempt to bleed the IRS dry has landed a Mays Landing woman in federal court. Denise Davis, 52, admitted today to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by concealing a significant portion of her family’s business payroll. The scheme, spanning six years, involved a calculated effort to keep cash wages off the books, ultimately costing the government approximately $1.18 million.

Davis pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court to one count of conspiring to defraud the IRS. The case centers around Davis Brothers Chimney Sweep & Masonry, a business located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, owned by Davis’s spouse. Between January 1, 2018, and April 30, 2024, Davis worked with Henry Collins, the company’s bookkeeper, to systematically hide income from the taxman.

The operation was deceptively simple, yet effective. Collins allegedly used a commercial check casher to convert substantial checks from Davis Brothers into cash. This cash was then used to pay employees – including himself – “under the table.” The remaining funds were funneled to Davis and her spouse. Crucially, Davis and Collins then fed false information to the company’s accounting firm, resulting in the filing of deliberately inaccurate payroll tax returns that omitted the cash payments entirely.

Adding insult to injury, Davis also confessed to failing to file individual income tax returns for herself and her spouse during the same six-year period. The IRS-Criminal Investigation team, led by Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan in Newark, meticulously unraveled the scheme, exposing the deliberate attempt to avoid paying what was owed. This wasn’t a simple oversight; it was a calculated and sustained effort to defraud the government.

Davis now faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 4, 2026. Collins, who previously pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy, is slated to be sentenced in December 2025. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender is prosecuting the case on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden. Michele Finizio, Esq., of Moorestown, New Jersey, represents Davis.

This case serves as a stark reminder that attempts to cheat the system will be met with federal prosecution. Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba made it clear that those who deliberately evade their tax obligations will be held accountable. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it moves toward sentencing and beyond, bringing you the unvarnished truth about federal crime.

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