Press Release
Non-Native Resident of Pojoaque Pueblo Pleads Guilty to Federal Child Pornography Charge
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE – Hak Ghun, 62, of Durango, Colo., was sentenced this afternoon to imprisonment for a term of a year and a day followed by two years of supervised release for his tax evasion conviction. Ghun also will be required to pay $249,567 in restitution to the IRS.
Ghun was charged in April 2012, in a three-count indictment with evading an aggregate of $367,809 in federal taxes during tax years 2005, 2006 and 2007. At that time, Ghun was the chief executive officer of BCDS Manufacturing, Inc. (BCDS), a manufacturing company located in Shiprock, N.M. In 2003 and 2004, the Navajo Nation invested economic development funds in BCDS and became the majority owner of the company, and in 2006, obtained a $2.2 million loan for the purpose of expanding the BCDS facility in Shiprock. The indictment alleged that between 2005 and 2007, Ghun used BCDS funds to pay his personal expenses and evaded his personal tax obligations on those funds by concealing his conduct from BCDS’s corporate accountant and by filing false corporate tax returns on behalf of BCDS.
On Feb. 21, 2013, Ghun entered a guilty plea to Count 2 of the indictment charging him with evading federal income taxes in 2006. In entering his guilty plea, Ghun admitted that, during 2005, 2006 and 2007, he was the chief operating officer of BCDS, a company that sought military procurement contracts as a source of economic development for the Navajo Nation, and had access to the company’s bank accounts. Ghun admitted withdrawing funds from BCDS’s bank accounts and spending a significant portion of the funds for himself. Ghun used the funds to make support payments to his ex-wife and paying for luxury cars, hotels stays and gambling. Ghun acknowledged that the funds he misused were taxable as personal income and that he failed to pay taxes on that income.
Ghun admitted receiving gross income of $207,726 in calendar year 2005 and willfully evading approximately $29,197 in federal income taxes. He also admitted receiving gross income exceeding $620,361 in calendar year 2006 and willfully evading approximately $145,156 in federal income taxes, and receiving gross income exceeding $251,435 in taxable income in 2007 and evading approximately $65,214 in taxes.
The case was investigated by the IRS, Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathon M. Gerson.
Updated January 26, 2015
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