Suite 2001
                                                                 211 West Fort Street
                                                                 Detroit, Michigan 48226-3277
 

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Gina Balaya (313) 226-9758
             Stephen Moore, IRS CI (313) 234-2410
 

March 1, 2004
 

United States Attorney Jeffrey Collins and Special Agent in Charge of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Mark Kroczynski, announced that on March 1, 2004, Riza Selenica, 37, of Birmingham, Michigan, was arraigned on an indictment charging him with three counts of income tax evasion.

The indictment charges that Mr. Selenica prepared and filed false 1996, 1997 and 1998 federal income tax returns claiming $0.00 gross income or, as on the 1998 return, showing gross income of $48,747, when his joint taxable income with his spouse during those years totaled over $980,000. Mr. Selenica is the owner and operator of Euro Express, a dry cleaning and shirt laundering business.

Mr. Kroczynski stated, "Every American has a duty to pay their fair share of taxes and IRS Criminal Investigation will continue to direct their efforts at the portion of Americans who willfully and intentionally violate this known legal duty. "

Tax evasion is in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.Each count of conviction carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and $250,000 fine.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Mr. Collins commended the special agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation for their work in this investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Richard L. Delonis is prosecuting the case.