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New Haven County resident Matthew Blackwell, age 41, of Woodbridge, was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for tax evasion, according to Leonard Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and perform 120 hours of community service during his supervised release, Boyle said.
Blackwell was the vice president of operations and a family-owned food company that is based in Orange, according to the announcement.
Between about 2012 and 2016, he created false purchase orders and invoices and presented them to the company controller, embezzling a total of $927,143 from the company, the US Attorney's Office reported.
The company sent payment checks that Blackwell deposited in a business checking account, and Blackwell transferred the funds to his personal bank accounts, Boyle said.
Blackwell then filed federal income tax returns that left out the embezzled funds for the 2012 through 2016 tax years, the US Attorney's Office reported.
Blackwell pleaded guilty to the tax evasion charge on Thursday, Dec. 9, and he is required to report to prison on Thursday, May 5, Boyle said.
Boyle said Blackwell paid his back taxes, but still owes interest and penalties.
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