A federal grand jury indicted a married couple from North Carolina for tax fraud, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and filing false tax returns. The government alleges that the couple failed to report gross receipts on their tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – an amount the government estimated totaled over $1 million from the period of 2005 through 2011. The indictment also alleges that the couple stole merchandise from LifeWay Christian Stores and Hobby Lobby and then knowingly sold the stolen merchandise online at prices less than retail value, and were charged accordingly.
TaxGirl columnist Kelly Phillips Erb said “That’s right. [they] went to Christian-oriented stores, stole Christian-oriented merchandise and then sold it online without reporting the sales to the IRS. That would literally be a multitude of sins.”