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Press Release

Owner of Tulsa Software Company Indicted on Tax Charges

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

The owner of a computer software development company, who failed to pay over payroll taxes withheld from his employees’ wages and failed to file individual and corporate income tax returns, was indicted by a grand jury in Tulsa, Oklahoma, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney R. Trent Shores. 

Earenest J. Grayson Jr., of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was indicted for 10 counts of failing to account for or pay over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payroll taxes withheld from wages paid to employees of his business, Zealcon Corporation (Zealcon), during the years 2014, 2015, and 2016. Grayson was also indicted for three counts of failing to file corporate income tax returns for Zealcon for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015, and failing to file his own income tax returns for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.  

According to the allegations in the indictment, as Zealcon’s owner, Grayson was responsible for reporting and paying over payroll taxes withheld from the wages paid to his employees. The indictment alleges that Grayson knew of this obligation and intentionally failed to account for or pay over to the IRS more than $300,000 in taxes that had been withheld from employee wages from January 2014 through June 2016. The indictment further charges that for the years 2013-2015, Grayson did not file corporate income tax returns on behalf of Zealcon or individual income tax returns for himself, despite being legally required to do so.

If convicted, Grayson faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count of failure to account for and pay over payroll taxes and one year in prison for each count of failure to file a tax return. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant Chief Andrew Kameros of the Tax Division is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely alleges that a crime has been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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

Updated April 3, 2019

Topics
Financial Fraud
Tax
Press Release Number: 19-317