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His unidentified pal compensated William Kawam, 57, of Hewitt, for his accounting services by giving him a credit card belonging to one of the friend’s businesses, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Kawam racked up $146,605 in charges from 2015 through 2017 that neither he nor his friend reported, Sellinger said.
The scheme shortchanged the Internal Revenue Service by $54,400, he said.
Kawam, a former partner at SKC & Co. LLC in Boonton, took a deal from the government rather than risk trial, pleading guilty to subscribing to false tax returns and conspiracy to defraud the United States during a videoconference.
U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo scheduled sentencing for Nov. 21 in Newark.
Sellinger credited special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation and special agents of the FBI with the investigation leading to the guilty plea secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Barnes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.
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