The owner of a Springfield law firm admitted last week he failed to pay employee and personal income taxes.
Michael C. Stoffregen, 51, of Ozark, pleaded guilty May 3 to one count of willfully failing to pay employee payroll taxes to the government and one count of willfully failing to file tax returns, according to a news release from the office of Tammy Dickinson, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
Stoffregen - owner of The Disability and Elder Law Center, formerly known as the Law Offices of MC Stroffregen - admitted he deducted and withheld taxes from employees' paychecks, including federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes, but did not pay the Internal Revenue Service. During the 2009-11 time frame, Stoffregen failed to pay $12,251 in employment taxes owed to the IRS.
For the years 2008-11, Stoffregen admitted he failed to file federal individual income tax returns. According to the release, his law firm had gross profits of $802,720 during this time.
Under federal statutes, Stoffregen could face a prison sentence of up to six years without parole, as well as a fine of up to $35,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled following the presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney and was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.[[In-content Ad]]
