Robert Rahrle, a 34-year-old former Florida resident now living in the Northern District of New York, has pled guilty to charges of tax evasion and wire fraud. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Harry Chavis, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office for the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation division.
Rahrle admitted to operating a fraudulent online gift basket business named iCare Gifting Solutions LLC from 2017 through 2024. The company claimed to provide care packages for families of incarcerated individuals but failed to deliver on its promises despite charging customers around $50 per gift basket.
Alongside defrauding customers, Rahrle also evaded federal taxes by filing self-prepared returns for 2017 and 2018 that inaccurately reported business losses while omitting substantial gross receipts.
Rahrle is scheduled for sentencing on June 11, 2025. He could face up to five years in prison for tax evasion and up to 20 years for wire fraud. Additionally, he may receive a supervised release term of up to three years post-imprisonment and could be fined up to $250,000 or an alternative amount based on his gains or victims' losses. Rahrle owes approximately $175,000 in restitution to the IRS and additional restitution to his fraud victims. He must also forfeit a money judgment of $2 million to the United States.
The investigation into this case was conducted by IRS-CI, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian is prosecuting the case.