IRS Reels in Fisherman—Hook, Line & Sinker

Billie Schofield of Scituate, RI was indicted by a federal grand jury in March, 2018 on charges of corruptly endeavoring to impede the internal revenue laws, tax evasion and perjury.

Schofield, who worked for several fishing companies from 2005 to 2016, earned several hundreds of thousands of dollars in income during that time, but in an effort to evade paying taxes, hid his incomes by depositing the funds in nominee’s accounts and filing false income tax returns.

The IRS placed a lien on his house in which Schofield attempted to pay off with bogus checks, and prevented the delivery of levy notices to his employers.  In February, 2018, Schofield gave false testimony before a grand jury in response to questions about checks that were drawn on a closed bank account and submitted to the IRS.

If convicted, Schofield faces a maximum sentence of five years on the tax evasion and perjury charge, with an additional three years for obstruction of the internal revenue code, a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.