PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A 38-year-old Beaverton man is accused of evading more than $65 million in employment and income taxes by paying Portland-area construction workers and subcontractors in cash.
Victor Hugo Lopez-Diaz and conspirators cashed about $185 million in payroll checks at check-cashing businesses and paid workers in cash, while filing false corporation, payroll and individual tax returns, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Uram and Gavin Bruce said in a Tuesday complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Portland.
The alleged massive tax evasion scheme continued from 2014 through February 2018, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The construction companies were involved in residential real estate projects in the Portland area, the complaint says.
Lopez-Diaz is charged with one count of conspiring to commit tax evasion and two counts of filing false tax returns. He’s scheduled to make his first court appearance on April 21. It wasn’t immediately known if Lopez-Dias has a lawyer to comment for him.
Oregon’s U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams called the case one of the largest tax evasion schemes ever prosecuted in the state.
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