A Fort Myers roofing company's decade-long financial deception unravels as two key figures face serious federal charges.
According to Due, William Skaggs Jr., owner of Nastar Roofing, and his office administrator Billie Adkison have admitted to orchestrating a complex tax fraud scheme that cost the IRS approximately $2.5 million.
The case highlights a sophisticated attempt to evade federal employment taxes through cash payments and falsified records. The Justice Department's Tax Division, led by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg, worked alongside U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida to secure the guilty pleas.
According to the Justice Department:
[Nastar employees] withdrew over $21 million from the company's bank accounts to pay employees predominantly in cash without withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from those wages. They did this to avoid paying employment taxes they knew were legally required.
The fraudulent scheme operated through a carefully orchestrated system of cash distributions and deliberate misreporting.
The defendants maintained an appearance of legitimacy while systematically undermining federal tax regulations through their actions. Their method involved using a legitimate payroll provider while concealing significant cash transactions from official records.
The investigation revealed a pattern of deliberate financial manipulation spanning from 2013 to 2023. During this period, Nastar Roofing's leadership systematically withdrew massive amounts of money from company accounts.
This complex operation involved multiple layers of deception, including the use of legitimate payroll services while maintaining separate, unreported cash payment systems.
The scheme's sophistication became apparent through the detailed examination of company records and banking transactions. Investigators discovered that while Nastar utilized professional payroll services for some transactions, they simultaneously operated a shadow payment system that remained hidden from federal oversight. The combination of legitimate business operations with concealed cash payments created a complex web of financial irregularities.
The IRS Criminal Investigation unit spearheaded the investigation, working closely with Trial Attorney Kevin Schneider and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Leeman. Their collaborative effort unveiled the extensive nature of the tax evasion scheme. The investigation required careful analysis of financial records, banking transactions, and payroll documentation spanning multiple years.
The legal implications for both defendants are significant, as they each face potential five-year prison terms. Their guilty pleas acknowledge the intentional nature of their actions and the substantial financial impact on federal tax revenue. The case represents a significant victory for federal tax enforcement authorities in their ongoing efforts to combat payroll tax evasion.
William Skaggs Jr. and Billie Adkison, key figures at Nastar Roofing in Fort Myers, Florida, have admitted to orchestrating a sophisticated tax evasion scheme that defrauded the IRS of $2.5 million. Through their positions as owner and office administrator, respectively, they manipulated payroll records and utilized cash payments to avoid federal employment tax obligations between 2013 and 2023.
The pair now awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to charges brought by the Justice Department's Tax Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. With each defendant facing up to five years in prison, the case underscores the serious consequences of systematic tax evasion and the federal government's commitment to prosecuting financial crimes.
