Former Branson time-share salesman guilty of tax evasion

A former Branson time-share salesman and Springfield resident pleaded guilty to hiding taxes owed to the federal government.

Scott Lucas, aka Scott Bogan, 57, who went on the run in Mexico for nearly seven years, was arrested in Colorado in April and remains in federal custody. Yesterday, he admitted he evaded paying $142,418 in taxes to the IRS, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

From 2002 to 2005, Lucas worked at Wyndham Vacation Ownership Inc., dba Fairfield Resorts, selling time shares. During the four-year period, he earned $811,367 in wages, of which $719,505 was taxable.

Upon learning of a federal grand jury investigation into his tax evasion, Lucas fled to Mexico and remained hidden until a U.S. Marshals’ task force traced him to Playa del Carman, Mexico, in February 2015. He was arrested at Denver International Airport two months later, according to the release.

In his guilty plea, Lucas admitted he failed to file income tax returns 2002-05. To avoid having taxes withheld from his paychecks, he filed IRS forms claiming exemption from the withholding of income taxes.

Among his crimes, Lucas admitted he titled a 1998 Hummer he purchased in 2003 under another person’s name in an attempt to hide his ownership of the vehicle. He also left the title and registration of a houseboat he bought in 2006 in the previous owner’s name, according to the release.

In the purchase of a $275,000 Springfield home in 2004, Lucas admitted he used a false Social Security number in the application and loan documents to conceal his ownership from the IRS, according to court documents.

Under the terms of his guilty plea, Lucas is required to pay $125,241 in restitution for the unpaid taxes, plus interest, to the IRS. He also owes $41,368 to the state of Missouri for taxes evaded, according to the release.