Tallahassee Man Indicted for Tax Evasion

TALLAHASSEE, FL—Lennie Fulwood, 42, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been indicted on four counts of tax evasion and 20 counts of structuring currency transactions, announced Pamela C. Marsh, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Fulwood was arraigned yesterday in federal district court on an indictment alleging that he willfully evaded income taxes for the 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 tax years, by failing to report more than $1 million in taxable income. According to the indictment, Fulwood failed to file income tax returns and attempted to conceal his income by placing his assets in the names of nominees. The indictment also alleges that, in order to evade federal reporting requirements, Fulwood deposited more than $277,000 in cash at five separate banks, structuring the deposits into multiple transactions so that no single deposit exceeded $10,000.

Fulwood faces a maximum of five years’ imprisonment for each count of federal tax evasion, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for structuring. His trial is scheduled for May 2, 2011.

United States Attorney Marsh praised the work of the IRS - Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI, whose joint investigation led to the indictment in this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Rhew-Miller.

An indictment is merely a formal charge by the grand jury. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.