Virginia landlord sentenced to 3 years after causing IRS to lose over $500,000
VENN
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- A Virginia landlord will spend three years behind bars for various tax crimes that cost the IRS more than $500,000.
On Tuesday, Feb. 17, Omini Tete Riman of Prince William County was sentenced to three years in prison for violating criminal tax laws, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Per court documents, Riman -- an information technology (IT) specialist and landlord -- filed false tax returns with the IRS for the years 2013 and 2014, allowing him to receive refunds he wasn't entitled to.
Riman then reportedly obstructed the IRS' efforts to recover those refund dollars by hiding his income from the agency. According to the DOJ, he did so by putting his property in a trust, opening a bank account in the name of that trust and directing his income into that account.
"Riman also submitted false documents claiming that the IRS collections officer handling his case had personally received over $600,000 from Riman, which, if accepted by the IRS, would have increased the officer’s own tax liability," the DOJ said.
Additionally, despite earning over $854,000 between 2018 and 2023, Riman did not file tax returns with the IRS.
The DOJ said that, on the whole, Riman caused the IRS to lose more than $500,000.
