Murat Aslansan, Tax Evasion, Pennsylvania 2024

A Philadelphia businessman has been sentenced to prison for evading his tax responsibilities.

Murat Aslansan, 55, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release, and a $10,000 fine for committing tax evasion, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson on today.

Aslansan was the sole owner and operator of MA-SA Construction LLC, a general contracting construction and maintenance company that provided home remodeling and maintenance services. He operated the business from his home in the Society Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Between 2016 and 2018, Aslansan cashed his business checks at a check cashing business and failed to report all of his gross receipts from his business on his tax returns. Specifically, Aslansan failed to report over $600,000 of gross receipts for this business on his 2016 to 2018 tax returns.

The total amount of taxes owed by Aslansan to the IRS is $327,723. The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright.

“By evading his tax responsibilities of more than $300,000, Murat Aslansan cheated not just the government, but all taxpayers who dutifully, if ruefully, pay their fair share to the IRS,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. “Tax evasion may seem tempting, but be forewarned, it will wind up costing you dearly when you’re arrested, prosecuted, and even imprisoned for these crimes.”

The sentence underscores the severity of tax evasion and the consequences of intentionally violating tax laws. Tax evasion is a serious offense that undermines public confidence in the tax system and costs the government billions of dollars in lost revenue each year.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/society-hill-businessman-sentenced-year-and-day-prison-tax-crimes