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Press Release

Conway Wealth Team International Association Business Owner Sentenced To 27 Months For Filing False Tax Returns

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Arkansas

Little Rock - Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas; Christopher A. Henry, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation Nashville Field Office; announced that on Thursday, November 7, 2013, United States District Judge J. Leon Holmes sentenced Richard C. Mathews, age 61, of Conway, to 27 months imprisonment with no supervised release. Mathews was ordered to pay $56,904.29 in restitution to the IRS. Mathews was ordered to report to the Bureau of Prisons on Monday, January 6, 2014. Mathews was released on his own recognizance after his court appearance.

Mathews was convicted by a jury on July 30, 2013, of five counts of filing false income tax returns and one count of obstructing the IRS laws. According to the Superseding Indictment filed July, 11, 2012, Mathews was self-employed operating a business soliciting members for a $99 joining fee into his system of making money by encouraging more members to join his online multi-level marketing network known as MMS and Wealth Team International (WTIA). The more people a member solicited to join MMS or WTIA, the more money the members and Mathews could make. Mathews stated on his federal tax returns that he had gross receipts of $22,201 for the five year period from 2004 to 2008, when in fact his bank records showed business deposits of $245,300.42. During the investigation, Mathews made false statements to and regarding actions taken by IRS agents, created a trust to avoid payment of taxes, and filed false returns.

The case was investigated by the agents from the IRS-Criminal Investigations. The case was prosecuted by First Assistant United States Attorney Pat Harris and Assistant United States Attorney Jamie Dempsey.

Updated July 14, 2015