Michigan Businessman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Obstructing the Internal Revenue Service

Mosii Mays Blackwell, of Detroit, Mich., pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to obstructing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and bank fraud, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today.

According to the information and other documents filed in court, from April 2004 to December 2012, Blackwell failed to report to the IRS over $4.5 million in gross receipts generated by Detroit area businesses that he operated and controlled through various entities, such as the Detroit Manufacturing Group, Moci Jeans, Arzel Corp., Renaissance Contractors and Greentree Entertainment Group, LLC.

In addition, the information states that on November 5, 2004, Blackwell executed a bank fraud scheme by causing a loan application to be submitted to mortgage lender that falsely reported the applicant was employed by one of his business entities at a salary of $18,000 each month.

Blackwell faces a maximum potential sentence of 33 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,250,000.
Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, thanked Special Agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation, who investigated the case, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Christopher O’Donnell for prosecuting the case.