Jury Finds Defendant Guilty Of Tax Evasion, Failure To File Returns

PITTSBURGH - After deliberating for 1½ hours, a federal jury of six men and six women found Thomas D. Tuka guilty of four counts of income tax evasion and three counts of failure to file tax returns, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Tuka was tried before United States District Judge Terrence F. McVerry in Pittsburgh, Pa.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Leo M. Dillon, who prosecuted the case, the evidence presented at trial established that Tuka failed to file taxes, and evaded income tax on more than $480,000 in taxable disability income he received during the period from 2003 to 2008.

Judge McVerry scheduled sentencing for May 24, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. On each of the four tax evasion counts, the law provides for a maximum total sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, three years supervised release and a $100 special assessment. The maximum penalty for each of the failure to file counts is one year imprisonment, a fine of $100,000, one year supervised release and a $25 special assessment. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Pending sentencing, the court continued the defendant on bond.

The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Tuka.