Former Police Officer Convicted of Tax Evasion

Strategic Insights -

A former Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer, Ishmeal Heru-Bey, was convicted of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by failing to file individual income tax returns on a timely basis, submitting false IRS Forms W-4, and filing false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns. The government introduced evidence that the resulting tax loss for the years 2005 through 2011 and for 2014 exceeded $90,000. The conviction carries a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ishmeal Heru-Bey, a former Metropolitan Police Department officer, was convicted of tax evasion charges for failing to file individual income tax returns on a timely basis from 2005 to 2012.
  • Heru-Bey submitted three false IRS Forms W-4, claiming he was exempt from income tax withholding, and filed false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns for 2011 and 2014, claiming fraudulent deductions.
  • The resulting tax loss for the years 2005 through 2011 and for 2014 exceeded $90,000.
  • Heru-Bey was convicted by a federal jury after a five-day trial and faces a statutory maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
  • The case was investigated by the IRS-Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jeffrey A. McLellan and Melissa S. Siskind of the Tax Division.
  • Ishmeal Heru-Bey's conviction highlights the importance of tax compliance and the consequences of tax evasion.

Statistics:

  • $90,000: The resulting tax loss for the years 2005 through 2011 and for 2014.
  • 5: The number of days it took for the jury to deliberate before convicting Ishmeal Heru-Bey.
  • 3 years: The maximum prison sentence Ishmeal Heru-Bey faces for his conviction.
  • $250,000: The maximum fine Ishmeal Heru-Bey faces for his conviction.

Sources:

  • United States Department of Justice Tax Division: [1]