A federal grand jury sitting in Flint, Michigan, has returned an indictment, which was unsealed yesterday, charging a Michigan business owner with filing a false tax return and failing to file tax returns, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

According to the indictment, Sarah Vidican, owned and operated a marketing and consulting company in Michigan and Florida under the name Magnalty LLC (Magnalty).  Magnalty allegedly provided marketing and consulting services to physicians and chiropractors. 

The indictment charges that Vidican filed a false 2012 partnership tax return for Magnalty that underreported the business’s income.  The indictment further alleges that Vidican failed to file a personal tax return for 2013 and failed to file a 2014 partnership tax return for Magnalty, despite having an obligation to do so.

If convicted, Vidican faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison for filing a false tax return and one year in prison for each failure to file count.  Vidican also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.  An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and William Guappone, who are prosecuting the case.

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.