Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Michael McDonald, age 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, for tax evasion for tax years 2016 through 2018 and failure to file tax returns for the tax years 2016 through 2019. The indictment was returned on November 10, 2021, and unsealed today upon McDonald’s arrest. McDonald will have an initial appearance today at 1:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Coulson.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Darrell J. Waldon of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.
According to the seven-count indictment, McDonald submitted false W-4 forms for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018. In addition, the indictment alleges that McDonald failed to file an income tax return for those tax years as well as for tax year 2019.
If convicted, McDonald faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each count of tax evasion and a maximum of one year in federal prison for each count of failure to file income tax returns. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the FBI and the IRS-CI for their work in the investigation. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and P. Michael Cunningham, who are prosecuting the federal case.
For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
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