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Roofing Business Owner and Payroll Administrator Both Plead Guilty in Employment Tax Conspiracy

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Florida man and woman both pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to defraud the United States by not paying employment taxes to the IRS.

According to court documents and statements made in court, William Skaggs Jr. owned and operated Nastar Roofing, a roofing company that operated throughout the Fort Myers area. Billie Adkison was the business’s main office administrator, whose duties included managing payroll.

Between 2013 and 2023, Nastar employees, including Skaggs and Adksion, and others acting at their direction withdrew over $21 million from the company’s bank accounts to pay employees predominantly in cash without withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from those wages. They did this to escape paying employment taxes they knew were legally required.

At times, Nastar used a payroll provider to issue nominal employee paychecks, but Nastar did not inform the payroll company about the cash wages. As such, when the payroll company filed employment tax returns with the IRS that included wages for Nastar employees, the forms were false in that they did not report the cash wages. Similarly, when Nastar did not use a payroll provider and filed its own employment tax returns, it failed to report the substantial cash wages paid to employees. Both Skaggs and Adkison signed a number of these tax returns, knowing that they were false.

In total, Skaggs and Adkison caused a tax loss to the IRS of nearly $2.5 million.

Skaggs and Adkison are scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. They face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. They also face a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Kevin Schneider of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leeman for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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Court Permanently Enjoins Miami Tax Return Preparers, Orders Them to Pay Disgorgement

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction yesterday against Miami tax return preparer Niclas Pierre, and his tax return preparation business, Niclas Tax and Express Inc. The court also issued a permanent injunction against Elius Bessard and his tax return preparation business, Bessard Immigrations and Tax Services LLC.

The injunctions bar Pierre and Bessard from preparing tax returns, working for or owning a tax preparation business, assisting others to prepare tax returns or transferring a list of customers. The court also ordered Pierre to pay $563,000 and Bessard to pay $208,000 in ill-gotten gains received from their return preparation businesses. Pierre and Bessard each agreed to both the injunction and the order to pay.

The complaint alleged that Pierre and Bessard prepared returns for customers that claimed various false or fabricated deductions and credits, including fabricated residential energy credits, false and fraudulent deductions and inflated business expenses. According to the complaint, Pierre and Bessard each prepared over a thousand tax returns for customers over the past six years.

Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers guidance on the credentials and qualifications that taxpayers should seek from their return preparer.

In the past decade, the Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

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Defense News: Medical CPX Showcases Expeditionary Medicine Readiness, Capabilities During Keen Sword 25

Source: United States Navy

Naval Medical orces Pacific (NMFP) conducted a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at Naval Medical Center San Diego, October 29-31, as part of Exercise Keen Sword 25, highlighting Navy Medicine’s readiness and expeditionary medical capabilities.

Keen Sword is a biennial, joint and bilateral field-training exercise involving U.S. military and Japan Self-Defense Forces personnel, designed to increase readiness and interoperability while strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance.

The CPX served to ensure that NMFP’s deployable Task Group headquarters maintains key skill sets and remains prepared to support Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMPACFLT) in regional operations.

“Our objective is to confirm our readiness to support COMPACFLT and the joint force with essential Health Service Support (HSS) functions and establish conditions for future operations,” said Cmdr. Noah Apusen, deputy director of the NMFP’s Maritime Operations Center.

The CPX tested the team’s ability to coordinate medical operations under austere conditions, replicating the challenges of a contested environment. It simulated coordinated efforts to sustain the joint force through command and control (C2), medical logistics, patient movement, and force health protection, bringing together personnel from NMFP, Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego, NMRTC Yokosuka, NMRTC Guam, NMRTC Camp Pendleton, and elements of Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) Alpha and the reserve component EMF Camp Pendleton.

Months of planning, working groups, and “road-to-crisis” briefings contributed to the team’s success, despite challenges, including managing high operational tempo with limited communication, Apusen explained.

“Our team met the training objectives, demonstrating command and control, establishing Role 3 hospitalization, moving critical supplies, and coordinating multi-modal patient movement,” Apusen said. “This exercise builds our ‘bench’ by acclimating new Task Group members to their responsibilities, from medical logistics to battle watch and patient movement.”

The CPX also underscored the support provided to medical units supporting the warfighters, like the Expeditionary Medical Facility (EMF) 150-Bravo, which concurrently conducted field training alongside the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) at Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan, from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1. The exercise demonstrated EMF Bravo’s capacity to integrate with JSDF counterparts in mass casualty scenarios, refining Role 2 to Role 3 casualty evacuation procedures, multi-service ward bed expansion, and walking blood bank activation.

Rear Adm. Guido Valdes, commander of NMFP, emphasized the value of these exercises in enhancing the responsiveness of Navy Medicine.

“Exercises like the CPX and EMF Bravo’s field training with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces exemplify the power of collaboration and preparation,” Valdes said. These scenarios reinforce our ability to provide timely, life-saving medical support under any conditions, which is vital to maintaining the readiness of our warfighters.”

Naval Medical Forces Pacific (NMFP) provides oversight for 10 Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Commands (NMRTC), on the West Coast and Pacific Rim that train, man, and equip medical forces, primarily in military treatment facilities. Globally, NMFP oversees eight research laboratories that deliver research expertise in support of warfighter health and readiness. Additionally, NMFP manages the Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center (NEMWDC), which plays a critical role in preparing medical teams for expeditionary and operational environments.

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Defense News: SECNAV Welcomes New Class of NCIS Special Agents

Source: United States Navy

NCIS Director Omar Lopez delivered remarks emphasizing the importance of using the skills and knowledge gained from training in the field before introducing Secretary Del Toro as the keynote speaker.

During his address, Secretary Del Toro remarked on the history of the FLETC, which up until 1974 was known as the Glynco Naval Air Station, and its deep connection to the Navy. He also thanked NCIS Director Lopez and acknowledged his commitment to the Navy first as a judge advocate and now as the first Hispanic American to serve as NCIS director.

He then told graduates that regardless of what led them to this point in their lives, whether it was another agent or the popular television series, this was a special moment to celebrate the end of a long journey before they step into their new role.

“Your journey has been arduous, and there have been moments when you faced self-doubt,” Secretary Del Toro said. “But we are here today to celebrate the culmination of your training and hard work. I thank you for your continued service and commitment to the United States of America.”

The NCIS Special Agent Basic Training Program is an accredited, 12-week program that uniquely combines FLETC basic Special Agent training — common to all federal law enforcement agencies –with advanced skills development in areas like cyber, crime scene management, tactics, family and sexual violence, counterintelligence, and complex interviewing.

Secretary Del Toro emphasized in his remarks that the graduates’ expertise, commitment and service was needed in every part of the world — from the Indo-Pacific to Europe to the Red Sea — and highlighted challenges the Department of the Navy faces in those areas.

As he reflected on his tenure as Secretary of the Navy, he restated the Navy’s most enduring priorities of strengthening maritime dominance, building a culture of warfighting excellence and enhancing strategic partnerships — emphasizing the importance of the people who form the strong foundation for meeting those priorities.

“No organization better embodies these priorities than the Naval Criminal Investigative Service—what you accomplish every day as NCIS special agents underscores our Department’s ethos. No other agency shoulders such a substantial and varied responsibility than NCIS. NCIS protects our Sailors, Marines, and Department of the Navy civilians from those who mean us harm.”

He praised NCIS for demonstrating the ethos of putting its people first and said that as special agents, what they accomplish everyday will underscore the department’s priorities.

“Our nation will ask much of you, and as protectors of our service members, justice and the law, the responsibility entrusted in you is great,” Secretary Del Toro said in closing. “And whether you serve for a few years or for a lifetime, your time in the NCIS will be a fulfilling and significant endeavor. Go forth with confidence of the power within you, your teammates besides you and a grateful nation behind you.”

Secretary Del Toro was sworn in as the 78th Secretary of the Navy Aug. 9, 2021. As Secretary, he is responsible for over 900,000 Sailors, Marines, reservists and civilian personnel and an annual budget exceeding $210 billion.

NCIS is a federal law enforcement agency that investigates felony crime, prevents terrorism and protects secrets for the U.S. Department of the Navy. NCIS employs approximately 2,300 personnel, including approximately 1,000 federal special agents, in 41 countries and 191 locations around the world.

To learn more about NCIS, visit www.ncis.navy.mil and follow NCIS on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. To report suspected crime, please submit a tip to NCIS via the NCIS Tips app or at www.ncis.navy.mil. Tips may be reported anonymously.

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Defense News: Chief of Naval Operations Hosts Turkish Head of Navy for Counterpart Visit

Source: United States Navy

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti hosted the Turkish Head of Navy Adm. Ercüment Tatlıoğlu for an official counterpart visit, Nov. 5-8. 

Tatlıoğlu’s trip to Washington D.C. was part of a four-day trip to the United States, that also included stops in Annapolis, Md. and Norfolk, Va., where the delegation visited Navy commands and spoke with Navy leaders and Sailors.

“With today’s security challenges and the changing character of war, it is important that we work together with our Allies and partners – alongside the Joint Force – in a global security ecosystem to preserve the peace, and be ready to respond in crisis, and win decisively in war, if called,” said Franchetti.

Tatlıoğlu began his trip visiting the U.S. Naval Academy, where he met with Superintendent Vice Adm. Yvette Davids and held discussions with leaders from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Energy Academic Group.

After arriving in Washington, the Türkiye delegation then met with leaders from Naval Sea Systems Command to discuss potential ship maintenance cooperation opportunities and coordination of International Fleet Working Group meetings.

Franchetti and Tatlıoğlu had multiple engagements to include a Navy Full Honors Arrival Ceremony, an office call and a luncheon, where the leaders emphasized a collaborative approach to defense modernization.

“We are looking forward to enhance Turkish-American naval cooperation which will boost stability and peace in our region,” said Tatlıoğlu.

The CNO also noted that the U.S. – Turkish alliance and Türkiye’s steadfast presence straddling two areas of operation has proven to be critical in ensuring regional stability.

During their office call, Franchetti and Tatlıoğlu discussed Türkiye’s offer of support for U.S. Navy deployment maintenance requirements. They also discussed their shared commitment to interoperability, and key elements of the CNO’s Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy.  

“My job is to get more players on the field to ensure our Navy is as ready as possible for potential conflict. To do that, we know we need to be interoperable with Allies and partners,” said Franchetti. “The Turkish Navy has been a strong partner in that endeavor, working with us in exercises like BALTOPS, operations in the Mediterranean Sea, and around the world. I look forward to future opportunities to increase interoperability with such a capable Navy.”

Following the visit to Washington, D.C., Turkish delegation representatives traveled to Naval Station Norfolk to meet with Rear Adm. Diana Wolfson, Director of Fleet Maintenance, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and tour USS Richard McCool (LPD 29) and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69).