New Jersey Businessman Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

PHILADELPHIA—Mark Olkowski, 62, of North Wildwood, New Jersey, a business partner in K&O Sporting Goods, pleaded guilty today to tax charges for filing false personal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service from 2006 through 2009. K&O, on Moyamensing Avenue in South Philadelphia, is a distributor of T-shirts and other clothing items to labor unions, municipalities, and political candidates. During 2006 through 2009, Olkowski failed to report a total of approximately $148,000 of income to the IRS. The unreported income included significant sums of cash received by K&O but which Olkowski pocketed and did not deposit to K&O business accounts, and income he received from making personal expenditures using corporate credit cards. The tax loss on this unreported income is approximately $25,000. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 24, 2013.

In addition to filing false income tax returns, Olkowski also pleaded guilty to 15 counts of wire fraud concerning a fraud he committed upon the Pennsylvania State Unemployment Compensation system. Olkowski made two false applications for unemployment compensation benefits. In his applications, Olkowski falsely claimed to have been laid off from K&O and did not tell unemployment compensation authorities that he was an owner of K&O Sporting Goods and that he was receiving income from K&O while he was applying for unemployment benefits. The loss to the unemployment compensation system is approximately $16,000.

The maximum sentence for each of the four counts of filing false income tax returns is three years’ incarceration. The maximum sentence on each of the 15 counts of wire fraud is 20 years in prison. Olkowski also faces restitution to the IRS, a possible fine, and a $1,900 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Paul L. Gray and John M. Gallagher.