In September, media broker and station owner Susan Patrick pled guilty to concealing $10 million in gross receipts earned by Patrick Communications and $9.5 million earned jointly with her husband, Larry Patrick, from the Internal Revenue Service. She may not get as much leniency as she hoped for with her plea, as the Department of Justice is pushing for jail time, as first reported by Radio Ink‘s sister publication RBR+TVBR.
Accused of stealing more than $2.5 million from the United States government, the DOJ argues that Patrick’s fraudulent actions were deliberate, not out of financial desperation, as evidenced by her high income and luxury expenditures, including a Tesla and vacations.
The fraudulent activities centered around federal income tax forms 1040 and 1065 between 2012 and 2014. Accounting firm Gross Mendelsohn & Associates prepared these documents, but Patrick failed to file them with the IRS. When questioned by the IRS in 2016, she falsely claimed that the accounts had been filed. She then altered the tax returns, adding backdated signatures.
The DOJ’s filing detailed how Patrick created a fake return for 2013 using a blank Form 1065 from 2015 and altered the reported income on Forms 1040 to show losses instead of the actual income earned. Initially, these deceptions appeared successful until a criminal investigation revealed the fraud. Her husband and Patrick Communications partner, Larry Patrick, was reportedly unaware of his wife’s actions.
Following her admission, Patrick Communications ceased operations, with Larry Patrick opening his own brokerage. The Department of Justice, represented by Trial Attorney Matthew Cofer and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Hubbert of the Tax Division, is recommending a 24-month prison sentence and one year of supervised release for Susan Patrick.
The DOJ emphasized the gravity of Patrick’s actions, stating that her case represented “flagrant dishonesty” and a “shameless disregard for the law.” In response to these developments, Patrick’s legal representatives from Frost Law filed motions to seal documents related to the case.
GREED x10 to the 23rd power. Some people never have or get enough….I just don’t understand it. I wouldn’t know how to fenagle the complexities of twisting my taxes in this manner. I conclude you’d have to possess a criminal mind motivated by greed. These people think they’re smarter than anyone else, and never think of the consequences.
I think she deserves to be jailed for longer the 24 months.
Another thing, it’s hard for me to believe that the husband wasn’t aware of her shenanigans.
Sad, sad, sad.
She and anyone involved deserve jail time. This impacted so many individuals quality of life, including my father.