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HOLLADAY — The state of Utah has charged a Holladay man with 18 felonies related to tax fraud after he allegedly used the name of a deceased person in business transactions over the course of eight years.
According to a news release, Dan Roberts, 75, has been charged with 10 counts of filing false returns or statements, six counts of forgery, and one count each of identity fraud and engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity.
Utah State Tax Commission spokesperson Charlie Roberts — no relation — said Dan Roberts used the name and signature of a dead person to register a business with the Tax Commission and told investigators he “used a stamp of that person’s signature to sign documents.”
“Our investigation shows Roberts profited by the use of the deceased person’s identity and transferred money from those business accounts to his personal accounts,” Charlie Roberts said in the release.
According to the release, Tax Commission records show Dan Roberts’ businesses owe $27,455 in withholding income tax and $7,701 in federal income tax. It also says he made transfers of $64,225 to his personal account.
The release says Roberts is scheduled to appear in District Court to answer the charges on Oct. 8.
Charlie Roberts said Saturday that, anecdotally, he and his team had “never run across” a case like Dan Roberts’.
“We have well over a million taxpayers, and by and large, well over 95% are honest and pay their fair share,” Charlie Roberts said. “And then people try to cut corners. We have auditors, we have investigators, we have contacts with financial institutions — there’s a very high chance they’ll get caught and in a situation where they’ll face criminal charges.”
