William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that an information has been filed against Michael R. Lee charging him with four counts of filing false income tax returns. According to court records, Lee, age 50, resides in Akron, Ohio.

The information alleges that, during the years 2002 through 2005, Lee was a practicing certified public accountant in the Akron, Ohio, area and he prepared income tax returns and provided financial advice for his clients. The information further alleges that the defendant diverted substantial funds from some clients, used the funds for various personal expenditures, and failed to report the income on his tax returns for the years 2002 through 2005. Specifically, the information alleges that Lee reported taxable income totaling $204,555 for the years 2002 through 2005. The information charges that Lee failed to report additional income for those years totaling $865,718 on which there were additional taxes due and owing totaling $265,596.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John D. Sammon, following an investigation by the Cleveland Office of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division.

An information is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.