E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
A Riverside County man has agreed to plead guilty to tax fraud charges after failing to report over $1.2 million in income from selling Stan Lee-signed memorabilia, according to the Justice Department.
Mac Martin Anderson, 59, of Corona, will plead guilty to two counts of willfully subscribing to a false tax return. Each count carries a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison.
From 2015 to 2018, Anderson had a personal relationship with Marvel Comics publisher Stan Lee and sold Marvel-related items bearing Lee’s autograph at comic conventions. He received payments for these items in cash or checks, which were considered regular income by the IRS and should have been reported on his tax returns.
Anderson admitted that for the tax years 2015 through 2018, he earned $289,460, $452,269, $414,166, and $80,590 respectively from these sales. In total, he profited approximately $1,236,485 in reportable income but failed to report it. This resulted in him owing the IRS about $482,833.
As part of his plea agreement, Anderson has agreed to pay restitution of approximately $482,833 to the IRS.
The IRS Criminal Investigation is handling this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark Aveis and Sarah E. Spielberger are prosecuting.
