RENO - - Daniel G. Bogden, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada, and Byram Tichenor, Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation for Nevada and Utah, announced that JAMES HOWARD GRIFFITH, JR., age 58 of Reno, Nevada, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Howard D. McKibben to two years probation, with six months of home detention and electronic monitoring, $39,353 in restitution, and a $5,000 fine, for his guilty pleas to three counts of Making and Subscribing False Individual Income Tax Returns, violations of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).

According to the court records, between 1994 and 1996, GRIFFITH, owned and operated a Reno motorcycle/ATV/jet ski shop at 525 Kietzke Lane, known as Kawasaki of Reno. The business was incorporated as Wild Ride, Inc., and is now located at 2697 Mill Street in Reno. GRIFFITH was the sole shareholder of Wild Ride, Inc., organized under IRS rules as a Subchapter S Corporation, meaning that any profit or loss for the corporate tax return flowed through GRIFFITH's personal federal income tax returns.

For calendar years 1994 through 1996, GRIFFITH willfully made and subscribed false federal individual income tax returns by substantially understating his income from the corporation and by overstating business deductions. The tax loss to the IRS was $39,353 for all three years. The case was investigated by Special Agents of IRS Criminal Investigation in Reno and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Sullivan.
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