CANFIELD CPA pleads guilty to tax charges

The accountant is awaiting sentencing.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Canfield certified public accountant will no longer be preparing tax statements.
Robert F. Elias, 59, of Blueberry Hill Drive, in an agreement in federal court in Cleveland, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion for calendar year 1998 and three counts of failure to file an income tax return for 1996, 1997 and 1998.
In the plea agreement, Elias admits receiving a gross income of $318,706 from 1996 through 1998 and filing false applications for extension of time to file returns.
A federal grand jury issued a nine-count indictment against Elias in October 2002. The indictment accused Elias of cheating on his taxes and helping Richard D. Goldberg, a disbarred malpractice attorney, underreport his income by nearly $3 million.
Under the plea agreement, five of the nine indictments will be dismissed at Elias' sentencing.
A call to his office Thursday was not immediately returned.
A news release from the Internal Revenue Service said Elias has agreed to give up his tax preparation business. He will no longer prepare tax returns for anyone other than himself and his wife.
No sentence yet
Denise Dolesh of the IRS said no sentencing has been set. When Elias is sentenced, however, he could still receive prison time. Dolesh said a judge will decide how much jail time, if any, Elias will receive after a presentence report has been completed.
The plea agreement says the three counts of failure to file an income tax return each carry a maximum possible sentence of one-year imprisonment, a fine up to $100,000 and the costs of prosecution.
The one count of tax evasion by failing to file an income tax return and taking affirmative acts of evasion carries a maximum possible sentence of five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and prosecution costs.