Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Karen Loeffler announced that a Kenai man was indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage for tax evasion and filing false documents.

The one-count indictment names Michael A. Spisak, 48, of Kenai, Alaska, and Scottsdale, AZ, as the sole defendant.

According to the indictment, Spisak is a commercial pilot who has worked as a hunting and fishing guide and has provided air transportation since the 1980's. He has operated under several different business names, including Ram Aviation, Bellair, Inc., TransNorthern Aviation, Inc., Northern Aircraft Leasing LLC, and Hunt and Fish Alaska LLC. According to the indictment, while Spisak was associated with TransNorthern and Bellair, payroll taxes for those companies were not paid over to the IRS. By July 2004, Spisak had been assessed over $200,000 in penalties for his role in failing to pay those payroll taxes.

Between July 2004 and October 2010, Spisak transferred assets including airplanes and property to others, and used others to purchase aircraft, transfer assets, and open bank accounts in order to conceal his income and assets from the IRS.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Retta Randall, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. Under federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

IRS-Criminal Investigations conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Return to Top