A Manitowoc County man has been charged with stealing lottery tickets and then not reporting the gain on tax returns, and could be facing possible decades in prison as a result.
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue on Wednesday said that charges were filed recently in Manitowoc County Circuit Court against Matthew Buchholz of Reedsville. They include one felony count of theft of between ten-thousand and one-hundred-thousand dollars, three counts of filing a false or fraudulent state income tax return for tax years 2017 through 2019, and one felony count of theft by false representation.
The criminal complaint claims that Buchholz stole lottery tickets from his place of employment and cashed in the winnings, thereby defrauding the Wisconsin Lottery. Buchholz subsequently didn’t report the income on tax returns. After including the cost of stolen tickets the DOR alleges that Buchholz understated income by more than $300,500, thereby evading over $20,000 in Wisconsin income tax.
If convicted on all counts, Buchholz faces a maximum penalty of up to 31 years and six months in prison and/or $65,000 in fines.
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