On December 22, the Department of Justice announced the sentencing of certified public accountant Dustin M. Lewis of Nevada. The accountant, formerly associated with L.L. Bradford & Company, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for his involvement in separate bribery and tax fraud conspiracies.
According to court documents, Lewis faced accusations of conspiring with a public official from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from February 2015 to February 2016. The allegations suggest Lewis made payments exceeding $150,000 in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for favorable treatment. Lewis purportedly aimed to influence the awarding of government contracts for auditing services.
In addition to the bribery charges, Lewis and a co-conspirator were implicated in a tax fraud conspiracy. The charges include filing false 2013 corporate tax returns and other tax forms on behalf of six business entities. These entities collectively claimed over $11 million in deductions. According to the government, “Lewis’ conduct caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1.5 million.”
U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon oversaw the case, delivering a 13-month prison sentence to Lewis. Lewis will also serve three years of supervised release. The financial impact of the sentence involves a restitution order totaling approximately $704,002, accompanied by a criminal forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.
At Chilivis Grubman, our attorneys specialize in representing clients of all types and sizes in white-collar criminal investigations. If you need assistance with such a matter, please contact us today.