Skaggs William, Tax Evasion, Florida 2023

GRAVE CONSEQUENCES: Tax evasion lands Skaggs William in hot water, with a hefty price to pay. The owner of Nastar Roofing, a roofing company based in the Ft. Myers area of Florida, has been sentenced for conspiring to defraud the United States by not paying employment taxes to the IRS.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Skaggs William, along with his accomplice Billie Adkison, withdrew over $21 million from the company’s bank accounts to pay employees predominantly in cash without withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from those wages. This was done to escape paying employment taxes they knew were legally required.

The scheme, which spanned from 2013 to 2023, saw Nastar employees, including Skaggs and Adkison, acting at their direction, receive cash payments without the requisite taxes being withheld. At times, Nastar used a payroll provider to issue employees nominal paychecks, but failed to inform the payroll company about the cash wages. As a result, when the payroll company filed employment tax returns with the IRS, the forms were false because they did not report the cash wages.

Skaggs William and Adkison’s deceitful actions caused a tax loss to the IRS of nearly $2.5 million. In addition to their prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell for the Middle District of Florida ordered Skaggs William and Adkison to serve three years of supervised release. The court will determine restitution at a later date.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case. Trial Attorney Kevin Schneider of the Tax Division and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leeman and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Winter for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.

Sentencing for Skaggs William and Adkison took place on no specific date mentioned for Skaggs William to three years and a year and a day in prison, and Adkison to one year and a day in prison. The case highlights the importance of complying with tax laws and the severe consequences that come with tax evasion.

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