On Friday, Kenneth Marston of Kingston, owner of a Massachusetts cellular phone tower installation and repair business, admitted his guilt in a case of employment tax crimes. According to The United States Department of Justice, Marston neglected his duty to collect, account for, and hand over payroll taxes for the businesses he controlled, namely Bowmar Steel Industries Inc. and Teleconstructors Inc.
Official records indicate Marston was tasked to withhold taxes such as Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from his employees' wages, which he failed to do from March 2015 through December 2018. Due to neglect, Bowmar Steel and Teleconstructors never withheld or paid the IRS taxes on roughly $3.8 million in wages, causing a severe loss in taxes.
Facing up to five years behind bars, Marston is slated for sentencing on January 3. His crimes carry not only the potential for prison time but also supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. The eventual sentence will be handed down by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines along with other relevant statutory factors.
The case against Marston is the result of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation, who brought the tax evasion to light. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts announced Marston's guilty plea. Overseeing the prosecution for the Tax Division is Trial Attorney Mark McDonald, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney James R. Drabick for the District of Massachusetts.
Between $550,000 and $1.5 million is the reported tax loss caused by Marston to the IRS, as per the officials. As the justice system grapples with those who shirk their fiscal responsibilities, cases such as Marston's serve as a significant reminder of the government's vigilance concerning tax laws enforcement.
