A high-flying scheme has crash-landed for a retired airline pilot, now convicted of trying to dupe Uncle Sam out of taxes. Charles Randall Sorensen, 72, faced justice for swindling the IRS, as announced by U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the jury found Sorensen guilty of tax evasion and more after he tried to falsely soar away with refunds totaling nearly $180,000. Sorensen egregiously claimed he was owed a $55,365 refund for the 2015 tax year, when in fact he was to pay over $49,000. His antics continued into the following year, where he aimed to bag a $123,370 refund, despite owing upwards of $175,000.
The government's probe revealed Sorensen's schemes as his tax escapades hit turbulence. The IRS audit showed the pilot not only received over $150,000 in illegitimate refunds but also had a staggering $290,000 in taxes, interest, and penalties. Sorensen's evasion tactics included diverting funds into shell accounts and switching his cache into the less traceable cryptocurrency.
Sorensen's maneuvers to avoid paying taxes didn't end with false claims. IRS – Criminal Investigations found that he also failed to file follow-up tax returns for 2017 to 2019, growing his debt to more than $300,000. After a four-day trial in the U.S. District Court, presided over by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz, Sorensen's guilty verdict was handed down.
With the jury's decision, Sorensen now awaits sentencing for two counts of filing a false tax return, one count of tax evasion, three counts of failing to file a return, and one count of making a false claim. The date for sentencing remains to be set as the case, pushed forward by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael P. McBride and Campbell Warner, wraps up its final descent.
