Ex-Stratford Payroll Manager Charged With Federal Tax Offense

STRATFORD, CT — The former payroll manager of a Stratford-based home healthcare company has been charged with a federal tax offense, according to officials.

Innis Frederick, 61, of Saint Cloud, Florida, pleaded not guilty Friday via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Spector. He was indicted by a grand jury in Hartford on Aug. 10 and is released on a $20,000 bond, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Leonard C. Boyle.

Frederick worked as the payroll manager for Equinox Home Care, LLC, a home healthcare company based in Stratford that was originally established as a partnership between Frederick’s sister, Theresa Foreman, and another person.

In September 2012, the partnership ended, and, by court order, Foreman was obligated to make payments to her partner for the purchase of the partner’s interest in EHC, according to officials.

“Between approximately 2012 and 2016, Frederick assisted Foreman by processing payroll that caused checks to be issued to ‘ghost employees,’ who did not actually work for ECH,” officials wrote in a news release. “The money paid to the ghost employees was actually paid to Foreman, who did not report the hundreds of thousands of dollars of income on her tax returns. By submitting false payroll data, Frederick also caused false Forms W-2 and W-3 to be submitted to the Internal Revenue Service.”

The indictment charges Frederick with conspiracy to defraud the United States and impede and impair the IRS, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, according to officials.

Foreman was previously charged and convicted in connection with the scheme.