FRESNO, Calif. - Today, after a four-day trial, a federal jury found Jeffrey G. Vincent, 66, of Madera, guilty of five counts of evading income taxes, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to evidence presented at trial, since 1991, Vincent operated a Fresno-based engineering company called Veco Technologies, organized as Stafford Group Limited Partnership, for which Vincent was general partner. Vincent has not filed an individual income tax return since 1989, despite earning significant income from Stafford Group, including close to $500,000 between 2007 and 2010. Two federal tax liens were filed on Vincent’s assets in 1993 and 2000 when he failed to pay assessments made for tax delinquencies in earlier years. Vincent signed tax returns for Stafford Group in which he falsely represented that he does not have a social security number. Vincent also funneled his income through various trusts and other entities.
“Today’s guilty verdict of Mr. Vincent sends a clear message to those who claim that there is no legal requirement to pay federal income taxes. All taxpayers are required to follow the law and the law requires accurate reporting and timely payment of any tax due and owing," said Michael T. Batdorf, Special Agent in Charge IRS Criminal Investigation.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher D. Baker and Kirk E. Sherriff are prosecuting the case.
Vincent was remanded into custody following the announcement of the verdict. He is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on July 24, 2017. Vincent faces a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
