Canton Man Charged With Tax Violations

A five-count criminal information was filed charging a Canton man with attempting to evade nearly $200,000 in taxes by making false statements to the Internal Revenue Service and paying creditors other than IRS, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS' Cincinnati Field Office.

Frederick C. Berndt, 39, attempted to evade the payment of a large part of income tax due for calendar years 2003, 2004 and 2006, in the amount of approximately $193,359, according to the information.

“The privilege of living well in the United States carries certain responsibilities, one of which is the voluntary payment of taxes,” Enstrom said.  “IRS Criminal Investigation will vigorously investigate those individuals who knowingly and willfully evade their tax obligation.”

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing 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.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Roberts following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.

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