Roger Whitman, Tax Evasion, Florida 2023

Florida Man Sentenced for Tax Evasion

A Florida man, Roger Whitman, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for evading nearly $2.4 million in taxes on income he earned from his business.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Whitman manufactured and sold Rife machines, devices that use energy waves to purportedly treat a wide range of medical conditions. Between 2002 and 2018, Whitman generated millions of dollars in gross receipts from the sale of such equipment.

Whitman also has a long history of non-compliance with his tax obligations, having not filed an individual income tax return since 1997 and not made any tax payments since 2000.

In 2012, the IRS assessed nearly $800,000 in taxes against Whitman for 2002 through 2009 and then began trying to collect these taxes from him. To thwart the IRS’s collection efforts, Whitman formed a trust with his girlfriend serving as the trustee. Whitman then directed his income from the business into the trust’s bank accounts and used the funds from these accounts to pay personal expenses.

In approximately July 2019, to further thwart IRS efforts, Whitman formed a new entity to operate his business.

Through his actions, Whitman caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $2.4 million.

In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge John Antoon II for the Middle District of Florida ordered Whitman to serve one year of supervised release and pay $2,314,220.15 in restitution to the IRS.

The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorney Melissa Siskind of the Tax Division, with assistance and support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

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