When it comes to tax evasion, sometimes it’s the ones you least expect, like the most respected public figures, who try to weasel their way out of paying their income taxes. Such was the case with a former Port of LA police chief.
In October, the LA Times reported the former police chief at the Port of Los Angeles, Ronald J. Boyd, was charged with federal tax evasion. Upon the final verdict he could face a two-year prison sentence. The 58-year-old from Torrance, CA, was accused of lying to the FBI and hiding over $1.1 million in income.
According to reports from the US Attorney’s office, Boyd was in a revenue-sharing agreement with a mobile app developer. In exchange for marketing and promotion, Boyd would receive 13% of the profits for an emergence and crime reporting app. The part that went wrong? Creating the app would require under the table deals. It was discovered that Boyd accepted a bribe, and all he had to do was acquire port contracts for the app developer. As if taking the bribe wasn’t bad enough, Boyd lied to federal investigators, saying he had no stake in the company. In the end, it wasn’t taking the bribe that got Boyd in trouble. The investigation against Boyd that turned up $1.1 million in income he received between 2007 and 2011, acquired from a security company, went unreported.
While Boyd’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky, maintained the former chief “did not act with corrupt intent,” she did tell the LA Times she believed the courts administered a fair ruling. Boyd plead guilty to the charges. So not only will Boyd serve two years behind bars, but he will also be subject to a three-year supervised release and over $300,000 in restitution fees.
It just goes to show that the IRS always wants their share of the money, whether it’s from a bribe or not.
