March 1, 2022—According to a press release from the District of Maryland's U.S. Attorney's Office, a husband and wife pleaded guilty to conspiracy in relation to tax fraud within their corporate filings and business taxes.and must repay $2,219,602 in restitution.
Ercin and Lizette Kalender owned and worked at Butch's auto body shop. According to the release, the couple falsified information on their tax returns for Butch's between 2015 and 2018.
The release adds that the Kalenders kept two sets of financial records for Butch’s, one that reported the actual revenues and profits of the business, and a second set that reported lower figures which were used for tax purposes.
The couple was caught in August 2018 when they tried to sell Butch’s to an undercover federal agent. During their conversations, the Kalenders explained the profitability of Butch’s and revealed their practices of the underreporting of revenues and income of the body shop.
Besides the money they must pay back, the Kalenders also face a maximum sentence of five years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy.
