September 17, 2010
COLORADO SPRINGS MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR FILING FALSE LIEN AGAINST IRS EMPLOYEE
DENVER – Ronald Roy Hoodenpyle, age 68, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger to serve 12 months in federal prison for filing a false lien against an IRS employee, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and Special Agent in Charge of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Denver Field Division, Greg Jaramillo announced. After serving his prison sentence, Hoodenpyle was ordered to serve 2 years on supervised release. He was also ordered by Judge Kriger to submit to electronic monitoring within 72 hours of this morning’s hearing. The defendant, who is free on bond, was ordered to report to a facility designated by the Bureau of Prisons on or before October 29, 2010.
Ronald Roy Hoodenpyle was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver on January 6, 2009. On June 17, 2010, Hoodenpyle was convicted of filing a false lien against an IRS employee following a three day jury trial.
According to the indictment, as well as facts presented to the jury during trial, on April 2, 2008, the defendant, Ronald Roy Hoodenpyle, filed a false lien against the real property owned by an IRS Revenue Officer. The false lien was filed in Jefferson County, Colorado, and stated that the Revenue Officer owed the defendant in excess of $1,000,000. Hoodenpyle knew that this statement was false.
Also during the trial, the prosecution played a videotape of an interview of Hoodenpyle in which he stated that he did not owe any income tax. It was then revealed that the IRS had filed liens against Hoodenpyle’s property stating that he owed the IRS over $1,160,000. The government presented evidence that the defendant filed the false lien in retaliation for the IRS Revenue Officer’s performing his official duties.
“Protecting government employees from harassment for doing their job is a central role for the U.S. Attorney’s Office,.” said U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
“Based on the hard work of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration special agents, the IRS’s ability to uphold the nation’s tax laws, without interference or retaliation, has been maintained once again,” said Greg Jaramillo, Special Agent in Charge of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Denver Field Division.
The defendant was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kirsch.
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