Dorchester’s Claudio Poles, a 78-year-old co-owner of a Mattapan plumbing and heating company, was charged with four counts of filing false tax returns. Poles allegedly used unreported money to purchase over $10 million in gold and silver bars for himself.
According to U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Poles did not accurately disclose his company’s gross business receipts to his tax preparer, who then submitted false tax returns on behalf of the company. This allowed Poles to buy the gold and silver bars using the unreported money, covering the purchases under false descriptions like “Boilers,” “Materials,” and “P&H Supp” on business checks to conceal the transactions.
Prosecutors claimed that between 2019 and 2022, Poles also fraudulently reported losses in his individual tax returns while omitting the income he received from purchasing the precious metals through his business. Filing a false tax return is a serious offense that can lead to a prison sentence of up to three years, as per the U.S. Attorney’s office guidelines.
The investigation and charges against Poles shed light on the consequences of tax fraud and the legal actions that can be taken against individuals who engage in such schemes.