The owner of a commercial cleaning company was sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison for income tax fraud for not turning withheld employee taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.
Jeffrey Minner, 55, was by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Sleet.
Minner was also ordered to pay $1,223,660 in restitution to the IRS.
According to statements made at the sentencing hearing and documents filed in court, Minner owned and operated Advanced Enterprises Incorporated, a commercial cleaning company that employed between 140 and 185.
Minner pled guilty to withholding taxes from his employees but failing to turn over the funds.
Over the course of five years between 2011 and 2016, Minner collected more than of $1.2 million in employee Medicare, Social Security, and income taxes that he did not pay over to the IRS. Instead, Minner used a portion of the money to fund his lifestyle and pay off other debts.
In sentencing Minner to prison, U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Sleet said, “I hope this sentence will promote a greater respect for the law.”
U.S. Attorney David Weiss added, “The U.S. Tax Code operates on a system of voluntary compliance. Not only will this sentence deter others who might consider diverting employee tax obligations to line their own pockets, but it represents justice for every tax-paying citizen.”
