A former Massachusetts golf course honcho is set to spend 13 months behind bars after a federal court found him guilty of cutting corners with Uncle Sam's cash and lying to a bank. Kevin M. Kennedy, the ex-operator of two public links in Springfield, was handed down the sentence yesterday, with a tee-up for three years of supervised release and court-ordered restitution still to be tallied, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Despite the defense's shot at a fairway, U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni wasn't swayed, landing Kennedy a stiffer stint than the zero to six months the probation department suggested. As per a press release by Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, the government swung for a 21-27 month sentence – a club he didn't quite get. Kennedy's tax evasion antics and his false steps with a bank came to light following his conviction back on December 11.
During his tenure at Kennedy Golf Management Inc., Kennedy played a round of financial foul play, skimming dough off the top and keeping Uncle Sam in the dark. He was eventually tripped up over using a wad of cash to build swanky homes in East Longmeadow and on Cape Cod. To back his mortgage play for the East Longmeadow property, Kennedy handed a home purchase contract over to the bank – but the feds say it was as accurate as a shanked tee shot, undercut by a cool $160,000, according to court documents.
"Stealing from the taxpayers is far from a victimless crime," Levy took a swing explaining the severity of Kennedy's crimes. "It diverts scarce resources that are needed to fund important services like education and elder care and public safety," he added, painting a grim picture of the blowback from Kennedy's scheming. The case's prosecutors took similar stances, vowing to chase down financial fraud regardless of who's taking the shot.
The former golf course operator's scorecard of deceit didn't end there. He also pleaded guilty to fudging his tax returns from 2011 through 2014. Apparently, Kennedy didn't tally all the cash and checks he snagged from slinging clubs at the city's courses on his tax forms. For a man whose business was all about playing the field, he certainly didn't play fair when it came to finances. The remaining defendants have yet to tee off in court, where they remain innocent until the law drives them otherwise.
