Bend plumber admits to $1.6 million in tax evasion

A Bend plumber pleaded guilty Tuesday in Eugene federal court to failing to report more than $1.6 million in income on federal over four years, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Gary L. Ford, 55, the owner and operator of Summit Plumbing in Bend, also admitted he was responsible for all of his plumbing business’s and his personal financial record-keeping, including accounting, sales and invoicing, and that he prepared the federal income tax returns and related schedules, the department said Wednesday.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5 before Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken. The maximum penalty for filing a false return is three years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

The case was investigated by IRS criminal investigators and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Bradford.