Oregon Man Indicted for Failure to File Tax Returns

A federal grand jury sitting in Portland, Oregon, returned an indictment yesterday charging a Hillsboro, Oregon, resident with six counts of willfully failing to file an income tax return, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the indictment, Winston Shrout received gross income for the years 2009 through 2014 in amounts that required him to file a federal income tax return.  However, for each of those years, Shrout willfully failed to file any income tax returns.  Shrout’s income included payments for services as a presenter at seminars; licensing fees associated with the sale of products in his name and the name of his business, Winston Shrout Solutions in Commerce; and annual pension payments.

If convicted, Shrout faces a statutory maximum sentence of six years in prison and a maximum fine of $150,000.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Ciraolo thanked special agents of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case and Trial Attorneys Stuart A. Wexler and Ryan R. Raybould of the Tax Division who are prosecuting the case. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  Individuals charged in indictments are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.