SCRANTON, PA – In a shocking turn of events, Walter J. Pietralczyk, Jr., 39, pleaded guilty to a tax fraud misdemeanor before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Blewitt in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Pietralczyk, the spouse of former Lackawanna County Attorney and former Family Court Guardian Ad Litem Danielle Ross Pietralczyk, both of Jermyn, Pennsylvania, was charged with submitting false information to the IRS on tax returns filed by the couple.
According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, an indictment filed against Ross in February 2013 alleged that the couple’s joint federal tax returns verified by Ross under penalty of perjury failed to report income she received from private paying clients while acting as the guardian ad litem for the Lackawanna County Family Court.
The indictment charged that as the sole guardian ad litem for the Lackawanna County Family Court, Ross was paid an annual compensation of $38,000. Pursuant to the contract between Ross and Lackawanna County, Ross was permitted to bill private paying parties above her County compensation at a rate of $50 per hour. Those payments were not reported as income for tax purposes.
Pietralczyk’s plea relates to the 2009 tax return, which allegedly showed a tax loss to the United States of more than $30,000 but less than $80,000. The restitution amount will be determined by the Court as part of the sentences.
The prosecution is the result of a joint investigation by the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecution is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Olshefski, assisted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Houser.
Pietralczyk faces a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. The statutory maximum penalty for the offense is not an accurate indicator of the potential sentence for a specific defendant.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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