Arrest2

Four Ohio Individuals Charged with Gambling and Tax Offenses

A federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a superseding indictment on May 13, 2021, that was unsealed yesterday, charging three Ohio men and one woman with conspiring to operate illegal gambling businesses and to defraud the IRS, among other criminal offenses.

According to the superseding indictment, from 2010 through 2018, Jason Kachner, his spouse Rebecca Kachner, and Ronald DiPietro conspired to operate Skilled Shamrock, an illegal gambling business in Canton, Ohio, and to defraud the IRS in connection with income generated by that business. From 2012 through 2017, patrons at Skilled Shamrock allegedly wagered more than $34 million, producing more than $4 million in net income.

The superseding indictment further charges that from 2013 through 2018, both of the Kachners and Thomas Helmick conspired to operate another Canton-based illegal gambling business, Redemption Skill Games 777 (Redemption). They allegedly conspired to defraud the IRS by filing false tax returns that concealed a substantial portion of Redemption’s gross receipts and concealed Redemption’s true ownership.

In addition to the conspiracy charges, DiPietro, a Certified Public Accountant, was charged with assisting in the preparation of false tax returns for the Kachners for the years 2013 through 2017. The returns allegedly did not report the Kachners’ true income from Skilled Shamrock. The Kachners were also charged with filing false individual tax returns for the same years, and Helmick was charged with filing his own false individual income tax returns for the years 2014 through 2016 that allegedly underreported Redemption’s gross receipts.

The defendants were arrested on Tuesday, May 18, and made their initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Greenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. If convicted, Jason and Rebecca Kachner, DiPietro, and Helmick each face a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each conspiracy count and five years in prison for each illegal gambling business count. The Kachners and Helmick also face three years in prison for each false tax return count, and DiPietro faces three years in prison for each count of aiding in the preparation of a false tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget M. Brennan for the Northern District of Ohio made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Inspector General, the Ohio Casino Control Commission, and Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission – Major Crimes Tax Force are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Richard Rolwing and Sam Bean of the Tax Division, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Patton and David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio, are prosecuting the case.  

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