Robert Rahrle, 34, a former resident of Florida now living in the Northern District of New York, has pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and wire fraud. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Harry Chavis, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Rahrle admitted that from 2017 through 2024, he operated a fraudulent online business called iCare Gifting Solutions LLC. This website falsely claimed to provide gift baskets for families of incarcerated individuals, charging customers around $50 per basket without delivering the promised packages.
Alongside defrauding customers, Rahrle also evaded federal taxes by self-preparing and filing false tax returns for the years 2017 and 2018. These returns inaccurately reported business losses and omitted significant gross receipts.
Sentencing is set for June 11, 2025. Rahrle could face up to five years in prison for tax evasion and up to 20 years for wire fraud. Additionally, he may receive a supervised release term of up to three years post-imprisonment and be fined up to $250,000 or an alternative fine based on his gain or victims' losses. He owes restitution to the IRS amounting to approximately $175,000 and must compensate his fraud victims. Furthermore, Rahrle will be required to forfeit a money judgment of $2 million to the United States. A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this case was conducted by IRS-CI along with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Secret Service. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.
