New Berlin Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

A New Berlin man plead guilty and was sentenced for three charges of filing false tax returns in Waukesha County Court.

40-year-old David Swanson, of New Berlin, plead guilty on Thursday, January 19 to three misdemeanor charges of filing false tax returns. The charges stem from fraudulently receiving $6,008 in state income tax refunds using fictitious W-2 forms.

Swanson was sentenced to 10 days initial incarceration, 18 months in jail (with work release privileges) and two years of probation. He must pay $8,349 in fines and another $6,008 in restitution to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

According to the criminal complaint, Swanson requested his employer to exempt him from having state income taxes withheld from his paychecks from 2013 to 2015. Swanson then electronically submitted his state income tax returns to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue with fictitious W-2 forms showing he had state income tax withheld from his wages. 

The complaint states that Swanson indicated he started the scheme because he wanted a small refund at the end of the year, and could not afford any more money taken out of his paycheck.

The criminal charges he faced were filed by the Waukesha County District Attorney's Office after an investigation, and referral of charges, by special agents from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Office of Criminal Investigation.