Mentor couple charged with tax evasion

A husband and wife from Mentor were charged with tax evasion, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Guy Ficco, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office.

Edgardo Morales, 55, and Paula Morales, 48, both of Mentor, are charged with attempting to evade taxes. Specifically, a criminal information alleges that from 2010 to 2012, they owned a bar and entertainment business called The 800 Club in Cleveland. They are alleged to have substantially under-reported the business’s revenues to the Internal Revenue Service on the corporate tax returns associated with the business. 

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew B. Kall following an investigation by IRS-CI.

If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. 

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.