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Wisconsin Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Employment Tax Fraud

On March 19, 2009, Keith Kuchenbecker, of Neenah, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $288,546 in restitution to the IRS. Kuchenbecker pleaded guilty to failing to pay over to the IRS approximately $197,000 in payroll taxes that had been withheld from the wages of the employees of his business, Keith Kuchenbecker Construction, Inc. According to documents filed in federal court, Kuchenbecker was responsible for paying payroll taxes that had been withheld from the wages of the employees of the business. He was also responsible for filing quarterly payroll tax returns with the IRS. During the period from January 2000 through March 2007, approximately $206,000 was withheld from the employee wages, none of which was paid over to the IRS. At the same time, the government's investigation identified numerous purchases by Kuchenbecker using corporate funds. These included a Mercedes Benz automobile, a Nissan truck, and airline tickets for trips to the Bahamas.