William J. Edwards, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Ryan D. Johnson, charging him with filing a false 2002 income tax return and failing to file a 2003 return. The charges involve Johnson’s failure to report income from a business he owned and operated while working and living in the Akron, Ohio, area, during those years, through which he provided various internet services.

The indictment charges that Johnson falsified his 2002 return by reporting gross business income of $191,848, when he actually had additional gross income from his internet services business activities of approximately $188,564 that year. It further alleges that Johnson willfully failed to file a 2003 income tax return on which he was required to report gross business income of approximately $58,647 for that year.

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.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John M. Siegel, following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Akron, Ohio.

An indictment 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.