Guilford Business Owner Pleads Guilty To Tax Charges: Officials

GUILFORD, CT — A Guilford business owner this week pleaded guilty to a federal tax offense officials say stemmed from her failure to pay business payroll taxes.

Michelle Ann Gilson, 38, appeared before U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver in Hartford on Thursday and pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to pay over withholding taxes, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery and IRS investigator Harry T. Chavis in a news release.

Sentencing has been set for Oct. 9, officials said. Gilson faces a maximum of five years in prison; she's released on bond pending sentencing.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Gilson co-owned and co-operated B&M Package Solutions, Inc. and formerly owned and operated Epic Empirez, Inc., both Guilford-based package delivery companies.

As co-owner, Gilson was responsible for company books, payroll, and invoices, and for collecting and paying over certain federal taxes from her employees, namely federal income taxes and Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) taxes, which include Medicare and Social Security taxes, officials said in a news release. She was also responsible for ensuring that B&M Package Solutions and Epic Empirez, as employers, paid their own share of FICA taxes.

An investigation revealed that, beginning in 2017, Gilson failed to report employees’ federal income and FICA taxes, and failed to pay over withheld amounts, officials said.

"In pleading guilty, Gilson admitted that she failed to pay over the withheld employee taxes, as well as the employers’ share of FICA taxes, for multiple quarters during the 2017 through 2022 tax years," officials said in a news release. "Gilson has agreed to pay approximately $1,407,831 in restitution to the IRS."