Boca Raton Attorney Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

A Boca Raton attorney pled guilty to evading the payment of approximately $1,501,724 in income tax due to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for calendar years 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2004 through 2007, by concealing his income, assets, and liabilities.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.

William J. Reilly, 62, pled guilty to one count of tax evasion, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201.

According to court documents, Reilly was an attorney and member of the New York Bar who owned William J. Reilly, Esq. P.C., a law firm through which the defendant practiced securities law.  The law firm operated in New York City until 1998, when Reilly moved his law practice to Boca Raton, Florida.

From 1992 through 1997, Reilly worked as the outside securities counsel for a corporation and was paid, in part, with options to purchase stock in the corporation.  In 1997, Reilly exercised some of his stock options and then sold some of the shares for more than $1.6 million.

From October 1997 through January 1998, shortly after exercising his stock options, Reilly acquired significant assets, including two residences in Boca Raton, Florida, a residence in Chittenden, Vermont, and oceanfront property in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  Only one of these assets, a Boca Raton residence, was titled in Reilly’s name.  On May 17, 1999, Reilly purchased a ten acre parcel of land located across the road from his Chittenden, Vermont home, and Reilly used a shell company to hold title to this land.  The Portsmouth land, where Reilly began to construct a home, was also transferred to the name of a shell corporation.  Reilly also purchased a 2001 Jaguar XJ8 and a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban in the name of a nominee.

From 2005 through 2010, Reilly used bank accounts for his law firm and the shell corporation to receive personal income, transfer funds into his personal accounts, and pay personal expenses directly, including his Visa credit card account, his children’s private school and college tuition, support his daughter’s equestrian business, make vehicle and mortgage payments, contribute to his son’s political campaign, and purchase more than $50,000 in tickets for sporting events and concerts.  Reilly also caused clients and others who owed money to the defendant to pay monies to shell corporations controlled by Reilly or to pay Reilly’s personal expenses directly.

The defendant’s sentencing date has not yet been set.  Reilly faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of IRS-CI.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen L. Cohen and Stephanie D. Evans.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.