NEWS

Former business owner pleads guilty in federal court

Caitlin Turner
cturner3@chillicothegazette.com

CHILLICOTHE – A local man could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if found guilty of failing to pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to the IRS, Andrew J. Parish, 40, of Chillicothe, pleaded guilty to the count before Judge Terence Kemp of the U.S. Southern Ohio District Court.

Parish is alleged to have defrauded the IRS by failing to account for and pay over employment taxes between Jan. 2009 and March 2009, according to court documents. Parish was the owner and operator of Axiom Consulting Group, and was responsible for collecting, accounting for and paying the employment taxes to the IRS from Axiom employees.

Parish retained the services of an accounting firm that employed Certified Professional Accountants. One of the firm’s responsibilities was to process the payroll for Axiom based on figures provided to them by Parish along with preparing the employer’s quarterly federal tax returns.

According to the IRS, Parish did not follow payroll procedures and paid a majority of Axiom’s payroll by issuing the checks himself to Axiom employees. However, the amount of employment taxes that Parish withheld from his employees were never remitted to the IRS. Parish is also alleged to not have provided the true amount of the wages paid to the employees of the accounting firm.

The total tax loss to the IRS as a result of the non-payment of employment taxes was $341,336.46.

Parish was released on bond pending sentencing. A date for sentencing has not been sent.

“Business owners have a significant responsibility to collect and turn over all IRS withholding taxes,” Kathy Enstrom, Special Agent in Charges with the IRS Criminal Investigation unit of the Cincinnati Office, said. “Those who fail to do so gain a competitive advantage that will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”