Federal Jury Convicts Former Army Contracting Official for Filing False Tax Return

BIRMINGHAM – A federal jury on Wednesday convicted a former contracting official for the U.S. Army at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville for filing a false income tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Command Veronica Hyman-Pillot.

Following two and a half days of testimony before U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala, the jury convicted WILLIS EPPS, 61, on one count of filing a false tax return.

Before Epps’ indictment in January 2013, he was a high-level contracting official assigned to Army Contracting Command-Redstone. Beginning in 2010, Epps provided contracting support to the Army’s Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft office and was named its director of contracts. He retired in January 2013.

The jury convicted Epps of willfully filing an IRS tax return for 2013 that he knew was false. According to the evidence, Epps knowingly omitted $56,250 in income when he filed a return stating his joint taxable income for 2013 was $182,541.

The facts leading to the IRS-CI investigation of Epps arose during a separate multi-agency investigation into NSRWA. Those investigating agencies were the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ramona C. Albin and Henry B. Cornelius Jr. prosecuted the case.