Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

An Illinois doctor pleaded guilty yesterday to tax evasion for hiding assets and lying to the IRS about his ability to pay approximately $1.6 million in taxes, penalties, and interest.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Krishnaswami Sriram was a medical doctor who resided in Lake Forest. From approximately 2011 to 2017, Sriram evaded payment of approximately $1.6 million he owed to the IRS. Among other steps, Sriram transferred ownership, in name only, of two rental properties from himself to his children without their knowledge, even though he continued to receive income from these properties. He also transferred approximately $600,000 from bank accounts he controlled in the United States to accounts in India. To fraudulently reduce the money he owed the IRS, Sriram submitted documents to the IRS that omitted an investment account in the United States, bank and investment accounts in India, and ownership of the rental properties.

In total, Sriram caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $1.6 million.

As part of the plea, Sriram also admitted that, between February 2012 and January 2022, he caused false billing to Medicare for episodes of in-home physician care, which he purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries on dates when those beneficiaries resided at inpatient facilities other than their homes or were deceased. Sriram’s false statements in medical records relating to these episodes of care resulted in false billing to Medicare in the amount of $136,980.36.

Sriram is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as 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 Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara E. Henderson for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Victor Yanz, of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A Virginia man was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for tax crimes and his wire fraud scheme.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Rick Tariq Rahim, of Great Falls, owned and operated several businesses, including laser tag facilities and an Amazon reseller. From 2015 to 2021, Rahim did not pay the IRS the taxes withheld from his employees’ paychecks or file the required quarterly employment tax returns reporting those withholdings.

Between October 2010 and October 2012, Rahim filed two personal income tax returns on which he reported owing substantial taxes, but did not pay all the taxes due. When the IRS attempted to collect the unpaid taxes, Rahim submitted a false statement that omitted valuable assets he owned, including a helicopter, a Bentley, a Lamborghini, and real estate in Great Falls. Approximately two weeks later, Rahim transferred ownership of the Great Falls property to his wife. He also paid personal expenses from his business bank accounts, including more than $889,000 toward his mortgages and more than $669,000 to purchase or lease cars, including three different Lamborghinis. Rahim withdrew more than $1.1 million in cash in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid triggering currency transaction reports from the bank. Rahim has not filed a personal income tax return since 2012 despite earning more than $34 million in gross income.

In total, Rahim caused a loss to the IRS of at least $4.4 million.

Rahim also defrauded customers who invested using his automated trading bots and by “copying” Rahim’s supposed trading activities that he posted to Discord. He marketed his products on websites named BotsforWealth, TradeAutomation, ProChartSignals, OptionCopier, CopyAndWin, SnipeAlgo, and QQQtrade. Rahim charged customers a subscription fee to access his bots and other software, and to copy his supposed trades. Rahim also offered a “lifetime membership” to which customers received access to Rahim’s private Discord channel, some of his products, and his “in-office” trading days. Rahim personally traded stocks for at least two individuals, claiming “We’ll hit home runs and make $500k+ per day very very often.” Instead, Rahim lost over $300,000 of his clients’ funds in eight months. 

Rahim induced customers to subscribe to his products by using social media tools, including TikTok, YouTube, and Discord. He also sought to induce customers by claiming he was extremely wealthy, boasting about trading millions of dollars and posting about his large home, pool, and luxury cars, including his Lamborghini. He posted false information to his websites and to his social media accounts claiming to “beat the stock market every day” and promising extreme profit margins. His claim of regularly beating the market was exaggerated. In reality, he did not post his trades that lost money. In fact, Rahim realized over $500,000 in losses from February 2021 through December 2022, and did not earn millions in the market during this time period as he had claimed. As part of his fraud scheme, Rahim also created at least 20 Discord user profiles where he posted emojis, likes, and symbols showing agreement and excitement regarding Rahim’s posts. Rahim earned at least $1,397,000 in subscription fees during the course of his schemes.

In addition to Rahim’s prison sentence, he agreed to forfeit over $1.3 million and must pay restitution to the IRS and to his investment fraud victims.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation investigated Rahim’s tax fraud and FBI investigated his investment fraud. The case was consolidated for sentencing.

Trial Attorneys William Montague and Ashley Stein of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Shartar for the Eastern District of Virginia prosecuted Rahim for his tax fraud. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shartar prosecuted Rahim for his investment fraud.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

An Illinois doctor pleaded guilty yesterday to tax evasion for hiding assets and lying to the IRS about his ability to pay approximately $1.6 million in taxes, penalties, and interest.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Krishnaswami Sriram was a medical doctor who resided in Lake Forest. From approximately 2011 to 2017, Sriram evaded payment of approximately $1.6 million he owed to the IRS. Among other steps, Sriram transferred ownership, in name only, of two rental properties from himself to his children without their knowledge, even though he continued to receive income from these properties. He also transferred approximately $600,000 from bank accounts he controlled in the United States to accounts in India. To fraudulently reduce the money he owed the IRS, Sriram submitted documents to the IRS that omitted an investment account in the United States, bank and investment accounts in India, and ownership of the rental properties.

In total, Sriram caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $1.6 million.

As part of the plea, Sriram also admitted that, between February 2012 and January 2022, he caused false billing to Medicare for episodes of in-home physician care, which he purportedly provided to Medicare beneficiaries on dates when those beneficiaries resided at inpatient facilities other than their homes or were deceased. Sriram’s false statements in medical records relating to these episodes of care resulted in false billing to Medicare in the amount of $136,980.36.

Sriram is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as 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 Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara E. Henderson for the Northern District of California prosecuted the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Victor Yanz, of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Source: United States Department of Justice

Jack Rocker, 19, of Tampa, was sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The court also ordered Rocker to forfeit an iPhone 12, thumb drive, and Acer Laptop, all of which possessed CSAM. Rocker will also have to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims.

Rocker pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2024. According to court filings, Rocker was a member of “764” a network of violent online extremists who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. These extremists work individually or as part of a network with these goals of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. 764 uses known online social media communications platforms, as mediums to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and CSAM.

On Jan. 19, 2024, the FBI conducted a search of Rocker’s residence located in the Middle District of Florida. The FBI seized Rocker’s iPhone, thumb drive, and Acer laptop. At this time, the FBI has determined that Rocker’s devices contain over 8,300 images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, masochistic sexual behavior, and bestiality.

This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Aaron Thomas Mitchell, 30, a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for abducting a 15-year-old female middle school student, driving her to his apartment, and repeatedly sexually assaulting her.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Mitchell found the child waiting for school to start, introduced himself as a law enforcement officer, and ordered the child into his car. Mitchell then restrained the child’s hands and feet with handcuffs and drove her nearly an hour away to his apartment.

At his apartment, Mitchell forced the victim into his bedroom, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her over the course of several hours, before he returned the victim to an alley near the middle school.

An examination of Mitchell’s cellphone revealed that he conducted numerous searches regarding rape, how to stop someone from screaming, and how long it takes to smother someone.

“As we work to secure the southern border, it is essential that our law enforcement officers remain above reproach and are trusted by the people they protect,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine for the District of Arizona. “This sentence shows that if anyone abuses their position of authority, they will face the harshest consequences available. And while we can never undo the pain inflicted by this defendant on the victim, we are proud to see that justice has been served.”

“This sentence underscores the FBI’s commitment to holding law enforcement officers accountable when they violate the rights of individuals. When an officer shrugs off his sworn oath and harms those they promised to protect, he betrays the people of his community and all of us who wear a badge,” said Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “The FBI continues to ensure the rights of every American are protected. Thank you to the Douglas Police Department for their partnership and work on this case.”

The Douglas Police Department and FBI Phoenix Field Office, Sierra Vista Resident Agency investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carin Duryee for the District of Arizona and Trial Attorney MarLa Duncan of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.