A former bookkeeper from Massachusetts has been sentenced to prison for tax evasion and disability fraud involving significant sums of money hidden from government agencies. David Tetreault, 55, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his illegal activities that took place between 2015 and 2021. He has been ordered to repay $623,602 to the Internal Revenue Service, $159,816 to the Social Security Administration, and $161,835 to the Employment Retirement System of Rhode Island.
In October 2024, Tetreault pleaded guilty to charges including tax evasion, theft of government money, and wire fraud. Serving as a bookkeeper for an electrical contractor, Tetreault received cash payments and redirected company funds for personal expenses under the guise of business costs, leading to underreported income by at least $2.1 million. This resulted in over $600,000 being owed to the IRS.
Furthermore, Tetreault's failure to disclose his income to the Social Security Administration, coupled with filing false employment and income information to the Employees’ Retirement System of Rhode Island, allowed him to collect over $320,000 in disability benefits from 2016 to 2024 unlawfully.
The case was brought to light by United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and was investigated by Acting Special Agent Thomas Demeo from the IRS's Criminal Investigation and Special Agent Amy Connelly from the Social Security Administration’s Inspector General's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb led the prosecution of the case.
