TROY, Illinois — A Troy, Illinois, businessman could face up to five years in prison for payroll tax fraud.
Gary Hunsche, 54, pleaded guilty to willfully failing to pay millions in federal payroll taxes while serving as the owner-operator of a Troy-based staffing company called Unique Personnel Consultants.
“Business owners have a responsibility to withhold federal income taxes for their employees and then remit those taxes to the Internal Revenue Service,” said David Talcott, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation division in the St. Louis Field Office. “Investigations of employment tax fraud is one of the priorities for IRS CI special agents, and those individuals who cheat their employees and other honest taxpayers will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
According to court records, Hunsche properly withheld over $8 million in federal taxes from the paychecks of roughly 3,000 to 5,000 employees in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Rather than pay the full amount to the IRS, Hunsche admitted to keeping $4 million of it for himself and spending it on his own residence, including landscaping work, a barn with a full-size indoor basketball court, and partial construction of a new home.
Hunsche is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17, 2021. United States District Judge Staci M. Yandle will determine his sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
If you suspect or know any individual or company that is not complying with the tax laws, you can contact the local IRS Criminal Investigation Office at (618)-622-2160.
