LAFAYETTE, La. -U.S. AttorneyStephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lafayette stockbroker and financial consultant pleaded guilty to not reporting more than $350,000 of income on his tax return.
Donald Domingues, 56, of Lafayette, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Richard Haik for one count of making a false tax return. According to the guilty plea, Domingues, who is a financial consultant and stockbroker in Lafayette, was paid a $351,000 commission in 2007 to help negotiate the sale of Powerhouse Inc., a Louisiana natural gas equipment supply service company. However, rather than take possession of the check in his own name, Domingues had Powerhouse make the check payable to Ray Chevrolet, a car dealership in which he maintained an ownership interest. The day after depositing the check into the dealership’s bank account, he caused the issuance of a check to himself for the same amount. When Domingues filed his U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040 for calendar year 2007, he intentionally left out the $351,000 sales commission. The intended tax loss as a result of this transaction was calculated to be $121,050.75.
Domingues faces up to three years in prison, one year supervised release, a $100,000 fine and any applicable restitution. A sentencing date was not set.
The IRS investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Howard C. Parker and David C. Joseph are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
