Chief of Staff of State Senator Indicted on Tax Charges
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 01, 2012 |
TAMPA, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Benjamin A. Kelly (56, Tampa) with five counts of failing to file a tax return. If convicted on all counts, Kelly faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison.
According to the indictment, Benjamin A. Kelly failed to file a federal tax return, as he was required to do, by law, for calendar years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill.