E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
An Orange County resident is set to appear in court following a federal grand jury indictment. The individual, Edward Michael Greer from Newport Beach, faces charges of tax evasion. He is accused of improperly classifying personal expenses as business expenses to avoid paying federal taxes.
Greer, who owned an insurance salvage company called Greer & Kirby Co. Inc., allegedly used the company's funds for personal expenditures between 2017 and 2020. These expenditures reportedly included payments to bookmakers Wayne Joseph Nix and Ken Arsenian for sports gambling losses and the purchase of a Mercedes-Benz automobile.
The indictment claims that Greer concealed these personal payments within the company's business records, often mislabeling them as legitimate business expenses to lower taxable income.
Nix and Arsenian have already pleaded guilty for their involvement in running an illegal sports gambling operation and await sentencing.
It is important to note that an indictment is not proof of guilt; defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in court.
If found guilty, Greer could face up to five years in federal prison per count. The investigation is being conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation.
Prosecutors handling the case include Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Mitchell from the Major Frauds Section, along with Trial Attorneys Julia Rugg and Mahana Weidler from the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
