Philadelphia businessman Murat Aslansan, the sole proprietor behind MA-SA Construction LLC, has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for evading tax payments. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Aslansan, 55, was also hit with a $10,000 fine and will undergo two years of supervised release after his prison term ends. These punishments come as a consequence for failing to report over $600,000 of his business's gross receipts on his tax returns from 2016 to 2018.
Using a check cashing business as a preferred method for handling his finances, Aslansan avoided using his business bank accounts, which resulted in him owing the IRS a total of $327,723. Working out of Society Hill, Aslansan's construction and maintenance company offered services ranging from home remodeling to general repairs, engaging the neighborhood with a facade of purposeful industry.
After pleading guilty to the charges of tax evasion earlier this July, Aslansan faced justice with U.S. District Judge Joshua D. Wolson presiding over the case. "By evading his tax responsibilities of more than $300,000, Murat Aslansan cheated not just the government, but all taxpayers who dutifully, if ruefully, pay their fair share to the IRS," U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero remarked, as per the press release.
Amy MacNeely, Acting IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, warned against the lure of tax evasion, stating, "Individuals like Mr. Aslansan, who intentionally violate the law to evade paying their fair share of taxes undermine public confidence in our tax system." She continued, hinting at the determined efforts to combat such crimes, "Anyone contemplating cheating on their taxes should know that our largest enforcement program is directed at the portion of American taxpayers who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their taxes," in a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case, following an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation, was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright.
