A notorious Alabama resident has pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns.
Sims Lawson Jr., a resident of Killen, Ala., appeared before Judge R. David Proctor in Birmingham, Ala., and admitted that he failed to pay federal income taxes of $369,038 and state income taxes of $50,938.
According to the criminal information and plea agreement, Lawson willfully omitted from his tax returns income that he had embezzled from an estate that he managed.
Lawson was hired in 2002 to co-manage an estate, and his duties included managing the books and records of the estate, collecting on loans made by the estate and determining the estate’s value for tax purposes.
In 2005, the estate received an ex parte court order removing Lawson from his responsibilities as trustee. It was later determined that Lawson had misappropriated at least $721,417 in 2002, 2003, and 2004, which he also failed to report on his personal tax returns.
The estate also paid Lawson an additional $297,352, which he failed to report on his personal tax return.
Lawson faces a maximum sentence of nine years in prison and a maximum fine of $750,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to the IRS.
Judge Proctor has set sentencing for October 6, 2009.
Related Federal Cases
- Patrice Taylor, Filing Over 1,100 Fraudulent Tax Returns, Georgia 2012 · Georgia
- Christopher Guilford, Tax Refund Scheme, California 2025 · Virginia
- Michael Jett Sentenced to 23 Months for Tax Evasion, MO, 2023 · Kansas
- Amy Evangelista, Tax Return Fraud, California 2023 · California
- Karen McGinnis Sentenced to 20 Months for Tax Skimming, Scranton PA… · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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