A Putnam County man was indicted in federal court after allegedly filing income tax returns over three years that understated his income by more than $1.7 million.
Jeffrey J. Blanford, 47, of Kalida, was indicted on three counts of tax evasion.
According to the indictment:
Blanford stated his taxable income for 2013 was $106,972, when, in fact, he knew it was $491,613.
Blanford stated his taxable income for 2014 was $148,236, when, in fact, he knew it was $700,150.
Blanford stated his taxable income for 2015 was $91,614, when, in fact, it was $899,560.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigating agency in this case is the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Crawford and Michael J. Freeman.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The 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
