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Belle Vernon man sentenced on tax charges

2 min read

A Belle Vernon man and a Greensburg woman were sentenced in federal court Friday on convictions of conspiracy and filing a false tax return.

Robert Richards was convicted of one count of filing a false income tax return, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer to four years of probation, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. The first six months will be served under home detention.

Jennifer Morrison was convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and was sentenced to two years of probation, with the first three months to be served under home detention.

In addition, both Richards and Morrison were ordered to jointly pay $141,732 in restitution and interest to the Internal Revenue Service, in monthly amounts no less than 10 percent of their individual earnings.

According to information presented in court, Richards and Morrison conspired to defraud the United States and the IRS from January 2006 to April 2010 by impeding the IRS in the collection of income taxes due from the operation of Richards’ used car dealerships in Greensburg, Jeannette and McKeesport. Richards secreted his income from the IRS by placing his dealerships and more than 30 business bank accounts, through which he funneled proceeds of his business, in the names of nominee owners.

Morrison was one of the nominees. She handled all of the business bookkeeping and worked in tandem with Richards to funnel more than $1 million in gross business receipts through the nominee accounts. Richards and Morrison took funds from the business accounts for personal expenditures.

Pennsylvania State Police and the IRS conducted the investigation.

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