Michael Goldner, Tax Evasion, Pennsylvania 2023

A Chester County man is facing serious charges after being accused of tax evasion for the second time. Michael Goldner, 51, of Paoli, PA, was charged by Indictment on a charge of tax evasion.

According to the Indictment, Goldner accrued a tax liability of approximately $1,858,740 for the years 2013 through 2017. He allegedly engaged in a scheme to evade the payment of those taxes, involving his employer making payments to his wife for personal expenses, including the mortgage on their home, rent for an apartment, and other services.

The Indictment further alleges that Goldner failed to report this additional income on his 2016 and 2017 tax returns. If convicted, Goldner faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, a three years period of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

Acting United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams stated, “Goldner’s alleged scheme to hide his true income victimized honest taxpayers in two ways: first, by evading more than $1.8 million in tax liability to the IRS, and second, by avoiding having to make additional payments towards the large balance (more than $4 million) he still owed in court-ordered restitution from his previous conviction on similar charges.”

Goldner made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon. The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Ignall.

The American tax system provides government services critical to our people, said Joleen Simpson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation. Every time someone cheats the tax system, the burden of providing vital services increases on taxpayers who pay their fair share.

Michael J. Driscoll, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, added, “If you keep breaking the law, the FBI and our partners will keep coming after you. Willfully defrauding the government and cheating honest taxpayers isn’t ‘creative accounting.’ It’s a federal crime.”

An indictment, information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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