Business owner pleads guilty to hiding federal taxes

An Ozark man pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a conspiracy to hide $585,000 in federal taxes owed to the government.

Wesley Delport, 69, who owned Springfield holistic health clinic Abundant Health & Wellness, received $4.7 million in gross receipts from his business between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 31, 2013, but did not report them to the IRS, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Delport conspired with co-defendant Alton Vaughn Sr., 58, of Greene County, to avoid paying taxes on the $4.7 million. Self-employed Vaughn earned a portion of his income assisting others prepare their federal tax returns, advising them in dealings with the IRS and representing others in dealings with the IRS. Vaughn pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy in June, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Delport admitted he hid taxes owed by creating in May 2001 an entity called the The Shammah Foundation in the state of Washington - an organization he said was designed to “promote the Kingdom Of God, All Righteousness and the principles of Liberty and Justice.” Over a four-year period, Delport transferred roughly $382,000 from Abundant Health to The Shammah Foundation. He used the foundation’s bank account to pay personal expenses, and did not report the funds to the IRS, according to the release.

In his guilty plea, Delport admitted he impeded and delayed the IRS by submitting lengthy and frivolous documents to the agency. Delport and Vaughn also admitted they falsely reported an IRS criminal investigator coerced, intimidated and threatened Delport.

Delport and Vaughn admitted they attempted to impede a federal grand jury by counseling an Abundant Health employee not to testify, according to the release.

Under federal statutes, Delport and Vaughn could each face five years in prison and fines of $250,000.