Agent charged with dodging tax payments for years and using tactics to block IRS efforts
A commercial real estate agent in Los Angeles, Gabriel Guerrero, has been indicted on charges of tax evasion and obstructing the IRS’s efforts to collect unpaid taxes.
The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury, accuses Guerrero of using various tactics to avoid paying more than $350,000 in taxes for several years.
According to the charges, Guerrero filed over 10 years' worth of tax returns in 2014 but did not pay the amounts he self-reported. When the IRS attempted to collect the outstanding taxes, Guerrero allegedly took measures to prevent the agency from seizing his assets.
Instead of depositing his real estate commission checks into regular bank accounts, he allegedly kept them out of reach of the IRS by cashing them through other means, like using cashier’s checks to avoid IRS levies.
The indictment further claimed that Guerrero obstructed IRS collection efforts by submitting false financial disclosure forms that significantly underreported his income. Additionally, he is accused of failing to disclose a bank account he used to deposit his earnings.
If convicted, Guerrero faces serious legal consequences. He could receive up to five years in prison for tax evasion and up to three years in prison for obstructing the IRS's efforts to collect his taxes. A federal district court judge will ultimately determine his sentence, taking into consideration the US Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
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The IRS Criminal Investigation division is leading the investigation into Guerrero’s actions. The case will be prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Robert Kemins and Christopher Gerace of the Department of Justice’s Tax Division, along with Assistant US Attorney Steven Arkow from the Central District of California.
The charges were announced by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and US Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California.
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