Periodontist Sentenced To Probation With Home Detention, Community Service For Tax Fraud

PITTSBURGH - A Pittsburgh resident was sentenced in federal court today in connection with his plea of guilty to filing a false income tax return, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

Periodontist Charles W. Schwimer, was sentenced by United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab to three years of probation which includes six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, a $20,000 fine, 300 hours of community service to be performed in dental facilities for the disadvantaged, and restitution in an amount yet to be determined by the Internal Revenue Service.

In connection with the sentencing Judge Schwab stated that Schwimer’s fraudulent conduct had been discovered during the course of a routine civil audit by the IRS in 2010. The court noted that the audit, and subsequent investigation, had shown that Schwimer engaged in fraudulent conduct over the period 2007 through 2009 through a pattern of deception and lies with regard to his income tax obligations. Schwimer pled guilty to filing a false income tax return for the year 2009. The return was false in that Schwimer had included approximately $29,000 in deductions for business expenses in connection with his dental practice on his tax return which were, in fact, purely personal expenditures that were not business related. The return was also false in that he failed to report cash that he had received directly from his employees who in turn had received cash payments from the patients of his dental practice.

The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Schwimer.