Arthur S. Weiss was indicted by a grand jury for tax fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank loan fraud, money laundering and bankruptcy fraud, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The indictment was returned yesterday in the Middle District of North Carolina.
According to the indictment, Weiss operated professional employer organizations (PEOs), which provided payroll-related services to client companies. For his client companies, Weiss agreed to pay the employees, withhold and remit federal and state taxes, prepare and file the federal and state employment tax returns, and provide workers compensation insurance (WCI). Weiss did pay the employees and withhold the employment taxes, but he failed to remit the employment taxes, keeping them for his personal use.
From 2004 to 2011, Weiss failed to file employment tax returns and failed to pay over to the IRS employment taxes of over $4 million. In addition, Weiss collected WCI premiums from his clients but failed to obtain adequate WCI protection, and diverted WCI premiums for his personal use.
The indictment also alleges that Weiss used a portion of his fraud proceeds to purchase expensive jewelry. During a trip to Europe, Weiss fraudulently reported four pieces of jewelry lost or stolen, and received $177,480 from his insurance company. The jewelry was later seized during a search at his former residence in Marion, N.C.
FBI press release link: click here