Holden Man Convicted For Tax Evasion

BOSTON - A Holden man was convicted today of tax evasion.

David L. Toppin, 47, was convicted by a jury sitting in Worcester before U.S. District Judge Timothy Hillman on a charge of tax evasion.

Toppin, the sole owner and operator of Pelletizer Group, Inc., did not file federal income tax returns for 1997-1999 until 2006. In the returns, Toppin reported earning a total adjusted gross income of $727,701 and owing $227,199 in federal income taxes for 1997-1999. The evidence at trial showed that Toppin evaded payment of his taxes and tried to impede the IRS’s collection of his income tax by, among other things, placing real estate and checking accounts in his wife’s name and by misleading the IRS about the extent of his assets and income.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 2, 2013.

The maximum sentence under the statute is five years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz and William P. Offord, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation in Boston, made the announcement today. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine J. Wichers and Sandra Bower of Ortiz’s Economic Crimes Unit.