Tax fraud is something that the state and federal governments will not treat lightly. Those accused of committing this type of tax crime, if ultimately convicted, could face some severe consequences. A Connecticut man just found this out the hard way.
A news article was recently published about a West Haven business owner who was accused of writing off personal expenses as business expenses, using his business credit card to cover personal costs and understating his income for several years. The 62-year-old pleaded guilty and was just recently sentenced to probation for a period of three years. He is to remain at his home for the first six months. He is also to pay a fine of $2,500 on top of the restitution he has already paid to the Internal Revenue Service — which totaled near $300,000.
Fighting tax fraud charges would be ideal, but sometimes, like in the case mentioned above, pleading guilty may work to one’s benefit. This man was able to avoid jail time, which can certainly be viewed as a win. In other words, the outcome could have been much worse had he handled his case differently.
Standing accused of tax fraud can be a frightening thing. Thankfully, when charged with a tax crime, one does not have to face the accusations alone. With the assistance of legal counsel, Connecticut residents facing tax fraud charges can take the steps necessary to resolve the issue quickly and hopefully with minimal consequences — if any. Legal counsel will be able to review the details of one’s tax situation and help one decide if he or she should fight or take other steps to settle the matter.