A Harris County resident has been sentenced for employment tax fraud, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Joseth “Joe” Limon pleaded guilty on May 27 to charges related to failing to report and pay employment taxes. U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Limon to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Limon must also pay approximately $8.7 million in restitution.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Rosenthal addressed Limon’s statements about being a hardworking businessman who had never sought assistance from others, saying, "he just took from the United States."
Limon owned and operated Platinum Employment Group Inc., a company that provided laborers to businesses in Houston. Between 2013 and 2018, Platinum did not file employment tax returns and failed to pay more than $8.7 million in taxes based on payroll records.
After closing Platinum, Limon started another labor-staffing company, Rockwell Staffing LLC, using a relative's name. When the IRS began efforts to collect employment taxes from Rockwell Staffing, Limon caused his relative to submit an affidavit falsely claiming that Rockwell was a victim of identity theft and had no tax liability.
Limon is allowed to remain free on bond until he voluntarily surrenders at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined later.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh and Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
