MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — The co-owner of multiple bars and restaurants in Georgia has been sentenced to federal prion for tax evasion.
53-year-old Eugene R. Britt III, aka Trey Britt, of Milledgeville was sentenced to 24 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Tax Evasion, as announced by Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert and U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg of the Southern District of Georgia.
A release from the Department of Justice says Britt is ordered to pay $362,249.53 in restitution.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randall Hall also ordered Britt to pay a fine of $10,000, and serve 3 years of supervised release when his prison sentence is up.
Britt does not have the option for parole.
“Trey Britt created a scheme to illegally withhold profits that should have been remitted to the U.S. Treasury,” U.S. Attorney Steinberg said. “Avoiding the obligation of paying taxes places a greater burden on all law-abiding taxpayers, and Britt is being held accountable for his actions.”
Court documents say Britt was involved in a scheme to evade taxes on his multiple eating establishments where himself and others would disguise their ownership of the bars by causing each bar to be owned on paper by a single person. Britt and the other real owners then shared in the profits by skimming cash and distributing it amongst the group.
The documents also say that Britt personally controlled the distribution of cash for three of the establishments.
In his plea deal, Britt said that for 2 decades he skimmed cash from his bars and restaurants and didn't report it on his tax returns.
He also admitted to being a part of a similar cash skimming operation for beer sales at a music festival in 2015.
He said his individual tax return was false, because he didn't tell his accountant about the cash he received from the bars and the music festival during this year.
"Business owners have a responsibility to accurately report their income and not doing so is unlawful,” Lisa Fontanette, acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office said. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents will pursue those who disregard that responsibility in order to steal from taxpayers and the federal government.”
“Hard-working taxpayers should not have to shoulder the burden for people like Trey Britt who fail to pay their taxes because of greed,” Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta said. “The FBI will work with our partners to make sure there are serious consequences for those who intentionally avoid their tax obligations.”
IRS-Criminal Investigation and the FBI investigated the case, and it was prosecuted by Assistant Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorney Casey Smith of the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division, and the Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office.