Federal Jury Convicts Tarrant County Man For Tax Evasion

FORT WORTH, Texas — A federal jury in Fort Worth, Texas, has convicted Jeffery James on an indictment charging one count of tax evasion, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. The trial began yesterday morning before U.S. District Judge John McBryde.

According to evidence presented during trial, James, between 2006-2009, embezzled over $250,000 from the Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas, where he was employed as Director of Club Accounting.  James evaded assessment and payment of taxes by failing to disclose his stolen money on his federal income tax return.

The government presented evidence at trial that during calendar year 2008, James, a married resident of Richland Hills, Texas, attempted to evade and defeat a large part of the federal income tax he and his spouse owed for calendar year 2007 by filing a fraudulent joint federal income tax return. That return stated, according to evidence presented, their joint taxable income for calendar year 2007 was $57,542, and tax due and owing was $5,639.  In fact, as James well knew, their joint taxable income for that year was $153,959, of which tax due and owing was $32,059.

James, who is on bond, faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.  Sentencing is set for October 17, 2014.

Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Wolfe and Doug Allen are prosecuting.