Tallahassee, Florida – Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today that 42-year-old Walid Abulaban of Tallahassee, pled guilty to four counts of wilfully subscribing to false tax returns for the 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 tax years in violation of Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).
Documents filed in connection with Mr. Abulaban’s plea reflect that between 1997 and 2000, Mr. Abulaban and Nidal Qasem maintained ownership interests in a series of convenience stores in the Tallahassee area. During the tax years in question, Mr. Abulaban and Mr. Qasem skimmed and directed store managers to skim cash profits from the stores. These profits were not deposited into the corporate bank accounts for the stores and were never reported to the IRS as income for Mr. Abulaban, Mr. Qasem, or the businesses. During the four years comprising the offense, Mr. Abulaban filed false tax returns in which he failed to report more than $290,000 in skimmed profit, resulting in a tax loss to the Government of $92,184.
During the same four years, Mr. Qasem filed false tax returns in which he failed to report more than $290,000 in skimmed profit, resulting in a tax los of $82,938. On February 1, 2004, Mr. Qasem pled guilty to four counts of wilfully subscribing to false tax returns, in violation of Title 26, United States Code, 7206(1) during those tax years.
Mr. Abulaban and Mr. Qasem face maximum sentences of three years’ imprisonment on each of the counts of conviction. Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2005.
Mr. Miller commended the investigative efforts of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the State of Florida, Department of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Karen Rhew.