Columbus Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Crime

MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Norman Vick, 57, Columbus, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Madison to an information charging him with failing to pay over employment and income taxes withheld from his employees’ wages.  Vick faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2019, at 1:00 p.m.

Vick owned and operated Norman Vick Construction (“NVC”), which assembled steel buildings for commercial operators all across the United States, including sand frac mines and Walmart Supercenters.  Vick was responsible for all aspects of the business, including among other things signing checks, paying creditors, paying employees, signing and filing payroll taxes, making payroll tax deposits, and making banking deposits.

At today’s plea hearing, Vick admitted that he failed to file 941 employment tax returns and pay over the withheld taxes for the years 2012-2015, and instead used the money on his family.  Vick also agreed he failed to pay the employer’s share of the payroll taxes, and that he failed to pay over to the State of Wisconsin the withheld state income taxes.  Vick agreed that the unpaid taxes due and owing for this time period totaled $683,105.

The charges against Vick were the result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.  The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Graber.