Construction Company Owner Sentenced to Prison for Not Filing Tax Returns | OPA

According to court documents, Arturo Alejandro Cruz, of Houston, did not file tax returns with the IRS from 2011 through 2017 despite earning more than the minimum filing threshold each year. In 2012, for example, Cruz earned more than $460,000 from his co-ownership of a commercial construction business and the sale of that business. Cruz deposited some of this income into a bank account he held in the name of a shell company. Cruz spent the funds on personal items such as real estate and gambling.

In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt ordered Cruz to serve one year of supervised release and to pay approximately $164,032 in restitution to the IRS.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys William Montague and Parker Tobin of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.