William Cater Elliott, Tax Evasion, Florida 2022

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – A former Gulf Breeze attorney has been sentenced to federal prison after being found guilty of tax evasion.

William Cater Elliott, 61, of Gulf Breeze, Florida was sentenced to one year in federal prison after pleading guilty on May 4, 2022, to three counts of tax evasion for the years of 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Elliott was a former attorney and the sole proprietor of William C. Elliott Associates, P.A., law firm, in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The United States relies on the payment of taxes to defend our country and maintain its operations,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will investigate and prosecute those who falsely misrepresent their income – whether by traditional evasion or the filing of fraudulent documents.”

In addition to the federal imprisonment, Elliot was ordered to pay $211,073.00 in restitution, and $116,896.25 in cost of prosecution fees. Elliot’s imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release – with the first three months to be served on Home Confinement.

“Devising fictitious loan documents intended to conceal the true facts from the IRS isn’t just bending the rules; it’s fraud,” said IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker. “Every American who pays their taxes should be offended by individuals such as Mr. Elliott who use similar schemes to avoid paying their fair share. Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to others considering following Mr. Elliott’s poor example – the risk of being caught will only increase.”

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