Sharpsburg resident Robert C. Boot earlier this month entered a guilty plea in federal court to two counts of failing to file tax returns on his 2002-2004 taxes. Boot owed $75,000 in taxes and $33,000 in interest.
Boot pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns, according to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. In his plea agreement, Boot admitted to owing a total of $75,196.25 in taxes and $33,311 in interest for tax years 2002 through 2004, Yates said. Boot agreed to pay $108,507.25 in restitution, plus a tax fraud penalty in an amount to be determined, said Yates.
Yates added that the charges and other information presented in court showed that Boot failed to file his 2003 and 2004 tax returns until July 2008, after he was contacted by IRS agents. In both years, he had substantial income and owed thousands of dollars in federal taxes, said Yates.
“This defendant thought he could get away with not filing his returns and paying his taxes, but he was wrong. The IRS caught him cheating and confronted him. Now, not only must he pay the taxes he should have paid a long time ago, but he must also pay stiff monetary penalties, and he faces the possibility of serving time in federal prison,” Yates said.
Commenting on the case, IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Reginael McDaniel said, “To build faith in our nation’s tax system, honest taxpayers need to be reassured that everyone is paying their fair share. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division, together with the Department of Justice will investigate and prosecute those who violate our tax system.”
Yates said a sentencing date for Boot has not yet been scheduled. In determining the sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provided recommended sentencing ranges for federal offenses.
