Former business owner indicted for tax evasion

A former Buffalo resident and Springfield business owner has been indicted for tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.

Ronald Downey, 56, was charged in a four-count indictment returned under seal April 2 and made public following his arrest in Hawaii and initial court appearance yesterday in Springfield. Downey was released on bond, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Downey owned the now-defunct Downey Life Transformation Center in downtown Springfield, where he served as an alternative healer and teacher.

The indictment alleges Downey received $818,386 in 2008 gross income, of which $79,343 was considered taxable income. He allegedly did not file an income tax return and attempted to evade tax payments by using bank accounts opened with false Social Security numbers and fraudulently used the credit card merchant account of another person to process commercial transactions, according to the release.

The indictment also alleges Downey failed to file federal income tax returns for 2009, when he received gross income of $254,743; 2010, with income of $101,206; and 2011, $69,423.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.[[In-content Ad]]