Philadelphia businessman William Powell, 65, is facing a year behind bars for skirting his fiscal responsibilities to the tune of nearly $150,000 in tax evasion, as announced by U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. Powell, once engaging in contracting and cleaning for a local non-profit, found his operations tangled not only with the enterprise's funds but also its executive leadership—it was his spouse. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Powell's sentence includes a year in prison followed by three years of supervised release, coupled with a $148,984 restitution and a separate $50,000 fine.
Powell's indictment in August 2023 led to a guilty plea in May, for charges that stemmed from concealing his continuous involvement in a cleaning business. His ties to the non-profit's director disallowed any official business relations, to circumvent this, Powell placed another individual as the titular leader while he maintained control and pocketed over $700,000, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. His maneuvers to hide this income between 2014 and 2018 included cash payments, a debit card for personal spending, and a blatant lack of tax returns, which eventually escalated to lying to IRS agents.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Romero emphasized, "Paying the taxes that we lawfully owe is both our civic and legal duty." Romero adds that Powell's decision to shroud his income defrauded not only the government but also the fair taxpayers. "That’s why tax evasion has some serious consequences, as Mr. Powell can now confirm."
The Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General spearheaded the investigation leading to Powell’s prosecution, with Assistant United States Attorney Michael T. Donovan heading the legal battle. Amy MacNeely, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation Philadelphia Field Office, warns that going to lengths to hide income and evade taxes, like Powell's actions, will result in prosecution.
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