Republic Man Sentenced for SBA Loan Fraud, Failure to Pay Employment Taxes

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A former business owner was sentenced in federal court today for providing false information in order to receive a $1.45 million loan, and for failing to pay employment taxes for the now-defunct business.

Clinton Tackitt, 44, of Republic, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Tackitt to pay $1,571,578 in restitution to the Small Business Administration, Guaranty Bank and the IRS.

On April 19, 2017, Tackitt pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements on a loan application and one count of failing to pay over taxes.

Tackitt applied for a $1,450,000 SBA-guaranteed loan for his business, Allied Roofing Systems, LLC, on May 9, 2012. Tackitt admitted that the loan application he submitted to Guaranty Bank was false and incomplete. Tackitt failed to disclose all of his financial debts as required and failed to truthfully disclose an accurate financial status of his company or a complete listing of the debts he and his business owed, in that the company was heavily in debt and was about to claim bankruptcy. Tackitt also failed to disclose that a third party assisted him in the preparation and presentation of the application.

Tackitt also admitted that he failed to pay over to the government $262,066 in payroll taxes that he collected from his employees. He also failed to pay over the employer’s share of FICA taxes, which total $395,699. Beginning during the second quarter of 2012, ending on June 30, 2012, and continuing on until the dissolution of Allied Roofing Systems on Dec. 31, 2013, Tackitt collected federal employee taxes from the salaries paid to the individuals employed with his company. Tackitt, through his company, willfully failed to pay over all of the taxes collected from his employees.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General.