Volume 25, Number 8

Embezzled $29.5 Million! Marches Off To Prison
Eugene DiNoto was sentenced to federal prison for orchestrating a massive fraud and kickback scheme that defrauded his employer of nearly 29.5 million dollars.

DiNoto, a longtime employee of a global essential oils company, conspired with vendors to overbill the company for undelivered transportation drums. He approved inflated invoices and split the proceeds with the vendors. He directed kickbacks, totaling approximately $7,071,106, to a shell company he controlled and deposited the checks there before transferring funds to his personal accounts.

Over an eight-year period, DiNoto submitted false invoices totaling over 29 million dollars – 20.3 million dollars involving two primary vendors and another 9.1 million dollars through additional vendors. From 2017 to 2019 alone, DiNoto failed to report more than seven million dollars in income, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $1,374,694.

DiNoto’s co-conspirator at the company, Elliott Kleinman, was sentenced to 42 months in prison. Restitution for both men and one vendor exceeded $19.3 million.

DiNoto was sentenced to 70 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and an illegal monetary transaction, and 64 months for tax evasion, served concurrently, followed by three years of supervised release.

County Payroll Specialist Steals Half a Million in Clever Scheme

A payroll specialist for Troup County, Georgia, Wesleigh Gaddy, was charged with stealing over $500,000 in public funds.

Gaddy’s misdeeds came to light when a county sheriff deputy reported to the Board of Commissioners that his employee portal showed several direct deposit payments made to him when he did not work for the county and never received those payments. The investigation that followed uncovered hundreds of similar payments showing up in more than 75 former employee accounts, with the funds all going to three bank accounts, all controlled by Gaddy.

She stole more than half a million dollars from the county between March 2023 and May 2025 by using the personal information of the former employees and manipulating the county employee database. She reported none of the stolen funds on her tax returns.

She faces a lengthy prison sentence and restitution.

Bank CEO Gets Caught Stealing $737,000!

A California CEO, Sammy Sims, was found guilty of defrauding his employer, Eastern International Bank, of more than $737,000.

Between 2018 and 2020, Sims used $86,000 of bank funds to pay personal federal and state income taxes, falsely recording the transactions as payments for the bank’s tax accounts. In April 2019, he used bank funds to pay $14,161 to a debt collection agency, disguising it as payment for software.

Sims took $113,264 from the bank to pay down personal credit cards and listed the payments as bank expenses in the bank’s accounting system. He also spent $81,815 on a company credit card on personal expenses, including steak dinners and a trip to Las Vegas. To further line his pockets, Sims purchased life insurance policies sold by his wife in the names of bank employees, without their knowledge. He directed $311,608 in bank funds to pay premiums.

When confronted, Sims blamed a cybersecurity breach or internal HR leak before eventually resigning.

He failed to report any of the ill-gotten gains on his tax returns and was sentenced to 36 months in prison and ordered to pay $306,849 in restitution.

Thank You for Your Referrals!

Sending a big “Thank You” to Andrew Margolies, Esq. with Margolies Law Office for sending us referrals. We love building our business from positive comments and referrals like you have provided. We couldn’t do it without you!

CEO Steals $1.1 Million from IRS and Gets Caught!
John Comeau, the former CEO of Vivid Inc., a company that offers industrial coating services, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for failing to pay over employment taxes.

From 2010 to 2019, Vivid employed up to 40 workers and paid over 8.8 million dollars in wages. During that period, Comeau withheld required Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from employee paychecks but failed to remit the full amounts to the IRS. He also submitted false quarterly tax returns that underreported employee wages by more than five million dollars.

Comeau issued misleading tax forms to employees – some forms accurately reflected their earnings, while others underreported wages. These discrepancies not only defrauded the IRS but also potentially impacted workers’ Social Security benefits.

Comeau diverted some of the withheld funds for personal use, including the purchase of luxury cars and a three-million-dollar home. His actions ultimately caused a tax loss to the federal government of more than 1.1 million dollars.

He was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,153,948 in restitution.

Man Swindles Seniors out of $12 Million, Hides Funds in Monaco
Darrell Aviss was charged with tax evasion and stealing over 12 million dollars in a Ponzi scheme targeting elderly victims who believed their money would be used to purchase annuities from Swiss insurance firms.

Aviss operated the scheme from 2012 through mid-2020, using falsified statements to convince victims, most over the age of 60, that their annuity investments were growing. According to court documents, one victim alone gave Aviss a substantial portion of the 12 million dollars.

Instead of investing the funds, Aviss used the money to support a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing expensive watches, luxury cars, and trips to Monaco.

He failed to file tax returns from 2014 to 2016 and evaded more than three million dollars in federal taxes while hiding money in offshore accounts in Monaco.

Aviss had already spent three months in jail when a judge ordered him released on $200,000 bond while he awaits trial.

“Whether you’re selling, buying, or investing in real estate, we are committed to providing you the highest level of service with cutting-edge tools, network, and technology of Compass. When life happens, we are here for you!” – Carlos Santana-Shrock & Alan Schrock-Santana

Enter Our Trivia Contest for a Chance to Win a $250 Transferrable Gift Certificate!
Take the Trivia Challenge to win!

Each month, we’ll give you a new trivia question. The first THREE people who call our office with the correct answer win a free $250 reduction on any Tax Resolution services we provide. Your prize is also transferable, so you can use it for yourself or give it to a family member or friend. Take your best guess, and call Nicole @ 469-647-9950.

This month’s question is:

The world’s longest sand sculpture is 16.96 miles long and was created on the Isle of Rugen, Germany, in June 2011. How many volunteers worked on the sculpture?

a) 6,500, b) 11,000, c) 2,000, d) 14,000

Don’t forget to call Nicole with your guess @ 469-647-9950!

Your IRS Questions Answered Here

Question: I’ve heard that the IRS will accept a monthly installment payment that settles my tax debt for less than what I owe. Is that true?

This is what is referred to as a Partial Pay Installment Agreement. The IRS has several debt settlement options, but it’s important to act before they garnish your paycheck and/or levy your bank account.

There are several types of Installment Agreements. One of them is called the “Partial Pay Installment Agreement” (PPIA), where it’s possible to settle your outstanding balance owed to the IRS for less. It’s based on your monthly disposable income and how much time remains on the 10-year collection statute expiration date. The IRS can only collect on a debt for 10 years, so the older your IRS tax debt is, the more likely you may qualify for a PPIA. The IRS does not “advertise” this option for obvious reasons. There are strict eligibility requirements that must be met, so the first step is to call us to see if you qualify.

We know how to navigate the IRS maze and know the “ins and outs” of the law, as that is what we do every day. Once we’re retained, you’ll never have to meet or speak with the IRS. We take care of all of that because we know that the worst thing you can do is represent yourself. That’s like going to court without a lawyer.

Here at Cheshier Tax Resolution, we are experts in IRS tax problem resolution and help taxpayers with their IRS Problems every day. There is a solution to EVERY problem. Call Linda @ 469-647-9950 for a FREE confidential consultation today!

We’d Like to Hear From You!

If you have an IRS issue or want to refer a friend, relative, or client, we’d love to hear from you. We can provide a no-obligation confidential consultation to help you solve your IRS problems.

• Irving – Call Adrienne @ 972-514-1424
• Duncanville – Call Linda @ 469-647-9950
• Pecos – Call Crissy @ 432-445-4949