An attorney from Stow was indicted on tax charges, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and IRS Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Korner.
Gregory T. Plesich, 72, was indicted on one count of attempt to evade and defeat the payment of taxes.
Plesich worked as an attorney for Lawrence and Angela Tipton, an Ohio couple that was eventually convicted of tax crimes. They operated a trucking business and other business ventures but did not pay a substantial amount of their taxes, according to the indictment.
In 2004, the IRS filed tax liens against Lawrence Tiption. The IRS did the same against Angela Tipton in 2011. By 2012, their combined tax liabilities, including interest and penalties, was more than $1.7 million, according to the indictment.
Plesich aided and abetted the Tipton’s evasion of taxes by allowing them to use his business account as if it where their personal bank account. The Tiptons gave checks to Plesich, which he deposited into his business account, then wrote checks from the account payable to the Tiptons, according to the indictment.
This took place numerous times in 2013 and 2014, according to the indictment.
Lawrence Tipton was sentenced last year to more than two years in prison while Angela Tipton was sentenced to home confinement.
This case was investigated by the IRS and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Mark Bennett.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
