Real Estate Consultant Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return

The district court accepted a Michigan man’s guilty plea today to filing a false individual income tax return with the IRS.

According to court documents, Steven A. Mills, formerly of East Lansing, was a real estate consultant who managed Mills Real Estate Consulting LLC. From 2012 to 2015, Mills Real Estate Consulting LLC received payments from third parties with whom Mills was conducting real estate transactions. Mills reported on his federal income tax returns only a portion of the payments he received. For example, on his 2014 federal income tax return, Mills did not report to the IRS approximately $356,100 in such payments made to Mills Real Estate Consulting LLC.

Mills is scheduled to be sentenced on June 14 and faces up to three years in prison for filing a false tax return. He 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 and U.S. Attorney Andrew B. Birge for the Western District of Michigan made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Kenneth Vert and Jeffrey McLellan of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Stella for the Western District of Michigan are prosecuting the case.