Bend Area Plumber Pleads Guilty to Filing False Federal Tax Returns and Omitting $1.6 Million in Income

EUGENE, Ore. –Yesterday, Gary L. Ford, 55, of Bend, Oregon, pled guilty to willfully filing a false federal income tax return.  As part of his plea agreement, Ford, the owner and operator of Summit Plumbing in Bend, Oregon, admitted that he failed to report more than $1.6 million of income on his federal tax returns for tax years 2006 through 2009.  Ford also admitted that he was responsible for all of his plumbing business’s and his personal financial record keeping, including accounting, sales, and invoicing, and that he prepared the federal income tax returns and related schedules.

Sentencing is set for January 5, 2016, at 10 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken.  The maximum penalty for filing a false return is three years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford.