Las Vegas Accountant Gets 13 Months for Bribery and Tax Fraud Schemes

Las Vegas, NV – A Las Vegas-area accountant, Dustin M. Lewis, has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for his involvement in separate bribery and tax fraud conspiracies, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.

Double Trouble:

Lewis, a certified public accountant employed by the Las Vegas firm L.L. Bradford & Company, engaged in two illegal schemes:

• Bribery: He conspired with and paid over $150,000 in bribes and kickbacks to a public official with the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation. The co-conspirator, a member of a committee awarding government contracts for auditing services, used their influence to secure one for L.L. Bradford.
• Tax Fraud: Lewis and his co-conspirator also orchestrated a multi-million dollar tax fraud scheme. They filed a false 2013 corporate tax return and other forms on behalf of six businesses, claiming over $11 million in fraudulent deductions. This resulted in a tax loss of more than $1.5 million to the IRS.

Justice Served:

U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced Lewis to a 13-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $700,000 in restitution to the IRS and faces a criminal forfeiture money judgment of the same amount.

Credits: 8 News Now