By: Richard L. Smith
Two roofing company owners have been indicted on charges of tax evasion after allegedly failing to report millions in income and deliberately concealing their earnings from the IRS, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Steve Mitchell, also known as “Sonny Mitchell,” of Edison, New Jersey, and Samuel Mitchell of Bohemia, New York, each face four counts of tax evasion.
Federal prosecutors allege that between 2018 and 2021, the Mitchells operated multiple roofing businesses under various names, generating significant income — approximately $881,730 for Steve Mitchell and $1.4 million for Samuel Mitchell — but failed to file tax returns or pay taxes on those earnings.
Investigators say the Mitchells took deliberate steps to hide their income from authorities, including providing false Social Security numbers to check-cashing businesses.
By doing so, they were able to convert customer payments into cash while avoiding the IRS reporting requirements typically triggered by large cash transactions.
In addition to his roofing income, Steve Mitchell is accused of receiving more than $4.2 million from an elderly individual who believed they were investing in a COVID-19 mask-making venture.
Between 2020 and 2021, Mitchell allegedly converted those funds into cash, further evading detection by federal authorities.
Each count of tax evasion carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.