Kentwood Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Defrauding Employer and Filing False Taxes

Louisiana Man Sentenced for Defrauding Employer Out of More Than $549k and Filing False Taxes

Louisiana – On November 4, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Michael J. Goll, age 47, of Kentwood, Louisiana was sentenced on November 2, 2022, to three years in prison on charges of wire fraud and filing false federal tax returns by U.S. District Judge Wendy B. Vitter.

According to court filings, Goll was the New Orleans branch manager of Company A, which offers material handling equipment to businesses. Goll scammed Company A of roughly $549,667.39 between January 2013 and September 2017. Goll is accused of carrying out the plan by sending Company A fake bills from shell businesses he set up, when the job was either done by Company A’s own workers or not done at all. Goll also had a contractor who did personal work for him increase his invoices to Company A to pay for the work done for Goll as part of the scam. Goll justified the overbilling by informing the contractor that he planned to buy Company A in the future, despite the fact that Goll never bought Company A and never informed his employer about the overbilling.

Goll also pled guilty to filing false federal tax returns. According to court records, Goll submitted false personal income tax returns for tax years 2014 through 2017, failing to fully declare his income, including the money he embezzled from Company A. Goll reportedly advised three other people, all of whom he personally knew, to file fake tax returns. Goll informed each of them that he had received a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of New Orleans, a degree that the university does not offer. Goll enticed the victims to join him as business partners in a bogus restaurant venture. Goll then told them to file tax returns alleging fictitious business losses, and he demanded that they each give him a share of their tax refund. Goll caused a financial loss to the United States of $188,694.00 through his own phony tax returns and those of three individuals he assisted.

Goll was sentenced to three years in jail and three years of supervised release for wire fraud. Goll was sentenced to three years in jail and one year of supervised release for filing fraudulent tax forms, to be served concurrently with the wire fraud charge. Goll was also sentenced to pay $200 in mandatory special assessment fees. There was no fine imposed. A restitution hearing will be convened at a later date.

U.S. Attorney Evans lauded the United States. This case was investigated jointly by the Secret Service and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew R. Payne.