Dorian Farmer, a resident of Howey-In-The-Hills, has entered a guilty plea to charges involving tax-related offenses. Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announced that Farmer pleaded guilty to one count of failing to pay employment trust fund taxes and two counts of willfully failing to file tax returns. The penalties for these offenses could result in Farmer facing up to five years in federal prison for the employment trust fund charge and an additional year for each count related to failure to file tax returns. The court has yet to determine a sentencing date.
Court documents reveal that Farmer owned multiple businesses in Howey-In-The-Hills, Lake County. Over several years, he collected employment trust fund taxes intended for Social Security and Medicare from his employees but did not remit these funds to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Instead, he misappropriated the money for personal use, taking substantial cash distributions from one business without reporting them to the IRS. Furthermore, Farmer neglected to file necessary tax returns for himself and his company, Titleist Technologies, Inc., operating as Summit Joint Performance, for the year 2000. These actions led to a total tax loss amounting to $806,653.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.