Colorado Businessman Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

A Colorado man pleaded guilty today to attempting to evade the payment of more than $700,000 in employment taxes owed to the IRS.

According to court documents, Frank Stevens, of Bow Mar, co-owned restaurants and an oil production business, which had employees from whose paychecks he withheld income taxes and Social Security and Medicare taxes. From at least 2002 and continuing for many years, Stevens did not pay over the withheld payroll taxes to the IRS or file the required payroll tax returns for his businesses. In an effort to prevent the IRS from collecting the taxes he owed through bank levies, Stevens kept the balances of his personal and business bank accounts low, often leaving them with only $0.01. To do so, Stevens, or an employee acting at his direction, transferred just enough funds to cover expenses and then transferred any remaining money to a bank account not subject to IRS levy. In total, the defendant caused a tax loss of approximately $737,128.

Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Defendant also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Peter J. Anthony and Julia M. Rugg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.