An Ohio doctor has admitted guilt in a scheme to obstruct the administration of internal revenue laws. Dr. Suman Jana, from Strongsville, was involved with tax shelter promoter Michael Meyer and sub-promoter Rao Garuda. Court documents reveal that Dr. Jana participated in the "Ultimate Tax Plan," falsely claiming $764,350 in charitable deductions between 2012 and 2015.
The plan allowed high-income clients to claim donations of valuable property to charities controlled by Meyer while maintaining control over these assets. This included using purported charity funds for personal expenses, such as purchasing cars for Dr. Jana and his wife.
In January 2017, after five years of claimed deductions, Dr. Jana repurchased a company he had supposedly donated for $10,000, thereby exiting the fraudulent scheme.
In April 2018, the Justice Department filed a civil complaint against Meyer seeking a permanent injunction. A month later, Dr. Jana received a civil subpoena demanding records related to the tax plan. He was instructed by Meyer and Garuda to deny any buyback occurred and provided backdated documents prepared by Meyer.
Dr. Jana submitted these false documents in June 2018 as part of his response to the subpoena.
Dr. Jana is set for sentencing on March 7, 2025, facing up to three years in prison alongside supervised release, restitution, and fines determined by federal guidelines.
The announcement was made by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division with gratitude expressed towards U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for assistance from his office in Florida.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation with prosecution led by Assistant Chief Michael Boteler and Trial Attorney Andrew Ascencio of the Tax Division.