Former Newman man guilty in tax evasion case

A former Newman man on Monday was convicted of obstructing an IRS investigation after federal officials learned he had not filed tax returns over nine years while earning more than $900,000 in income, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento reported.

Frank A. Bilan, 68, pleaded guilty to one count of corrupt endeavor to obstruct and impede the administration of federal internal revenue laws.

Bilan is scheduled to be sentenced March 6 and faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors said Bilan worked as an engineer and operated an engineering consulting business. The defendant, however, did not timely file true and accurate tax returns for tax years 2001 through 2009.

The IRS notified Bilan about the past due taxes. The prosecutors said Bilan then tried to file false income tax returns that did not report any of his gross income for 2001 through 2005, and he filed a fictitious form that purported to discharge monies owed by him to the IRS.

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Former Newman man guilty in tax evasion case."