SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio couple was sentenced to federal prison for tax evasion and aiding and abetting in connection with a camping and fishing business, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Rachel Olivia Markum, 41, and her husband, Robert Franklin Markum Jr., 47, prepared and signed a false and fraudulent form 1040 joint tax return in 2016, according to court documents.
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The fraudulent tax return reported that the couple’s income gross receipts or sales from the business Camping and Fishing Outlet was $3,530,473, though the true amount of gross receipts exceeded $4 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Rachel Markum pleaded guilty on May 28 to one count of tax evasion and aiding and abetting. She was sentenced to 15 months (a year and three months) in federal prison.
Robert Markum pleaded guilty on April 1 to one count of tax evasion. He was sentenced to 27 months (two years and three months) in federal prison on Aug. 28.
“Robert and Rachel Markum created false identities and businesses to hide their income from the IRS, but they failed to realize that money always leaves a trail. Their years in prison will give them an opportunity to reflect on their actions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office.
The couple was also ordered to pay $359,108 in restitution.
“This sentencing underscores the serious consequences of defrauding the federal government through false tax returns,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “By concealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the IRS, this married couple betrayed the integrity of our tax system.”
