BERLIN, MD - The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the conviction of a Berlin man on multiple counts of failing to collect and pay payroll taxes.
According to the DOJ, Brett Hill, of Berlin and Parkton, was the Chief Executive Officer of two telecommunications companies and responsible for withholding federal income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes from his employees wages. Prosecutors say that from 2016 to 2018, Hill withheld taxes from his employee’s paychecks but did not file returns or pay those taxes to the federal government, nor did he pay over his companies’ share.
The DOJ says Hill instead paid himself a salary and other expenses with the money he withheld. In total, prosecutors say Hill caused a total tax loss to the United States of over $1 million.
Hill was convicted of 16 counts of failing to collect and pay over payroll taxes on Monday, April 14. His sentencing is currently pending and he faces a maximum penalty of five years for each count, according to the DOJ.