COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged Robert Porter, 52, of Westerville, Ohio with five counts of willfully filing a false income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and one count of making a false statement.
Benjamin C. Glassman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge, the United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Brad Geary, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and Marlon V. Miller, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations announced the indictment that was returned yesterday.
The indictment alleges that Porter, Vice President of Porter Drywall, Inc., filed false personal income tax returns with the IRS for the 2009 through 2013 income tax years in which he omitted $236,064 in income.
In addition, it has been alleged that between June 2011 and December 2011, Porter, as a contractor for a HUD project, made false statements and representations relative to the filing of 29 false U.S. Department of Labor Forms (Forms WH-347). On the Forms, Porter attested to being in compliance with all federal, state, local and F.I.C.A. (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) tax laws with respect to the employees of Porter Drywall, Inc. who worked on the HUD project. Porter allegedly knew the information on the Forms was neither accurate nor complete.
Filing a false income tax return with the IRS is a crime punishable by up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, and making a false statement is a crime punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
Acting U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Homeland Security Investigations, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Brown, who is prosecuting the case.
An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.