Two Charlotte home repairmen pleaded guilty to tax fraud today after failing to report over $1.5 million in revenue, primarily earned from the pockets of elderly clients, as announced by U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of the Western District of North Carolina. David Angelo Quick, age 43, and Tony Joshua Christo, age 33, both admitted to filing false tax returns during a court appearance, with Christo currently residing in Florida after having moved from Charlotte. according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Details from the court hearing and plea documents reveal that Quick and Christo, operating from 2018 to 2021, provided home and car repair services, during which they collected over $1.5 million from their elderly clientele, yet they knowingly omitted this income from their IRS filings, despite its substantial accumulation over the years, the deception stretching over a series of annual returns. Operating under the name David Quick Home Improvements, Quick, who lacked the proper licensure for his trade, dealt in varied homeowner services such as roofing and driveway construction, while Christo assisted him; both later faced the music in court over these dishonest dealings.
Overcharging vulnerable elders for required home repairs, as stated in court records, added to the deceitful practices of Quick and Christo. Both have accepted the charges leveled against them, with each false tax return filing potentially leading to a three-year imprisonment and a fine up to $250,000. They have been released on bond post-pleading and are now awaiting the judgment that will decide their fate at a later stage, marking a temporary end to their chapter of exploitation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley, representing the prosecution, steps forward in pursuit of justice for those taken advantage of, her work buttressed by the collaborative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation’s Charlotte Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Atlanta Division, illuminating the dark corners where financial predators lurk, for which the efforts of investigators like Acting Inspector in Charge Jason Krizmanich and Special Agent in Charge Donald “Trey” Eakins have been commended by the U.S. Attorney King.
