Ex-Stratford Payroll Manager Pleads Guilty To Tax Offense: Feds

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

Innis Frederick, 61, of Saint Cloud, Florida, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and impede and impair the IRS, an offense that carries a maximum term of five years in prison, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Leonard C. Boyle announced.

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.”

Frederick has agreed that the tax loss attributable to him as a result of his involvement in this scheme is approximately $248,827, according to officials.

Frederick was released on a $20,000 bond pending sentencing, which hasn't been scheduled, officials said.

Foreman was previously charged and convicted in relation to this scheme, and other conduct. She has been ordered to pay more than $600,000 in restitution to the IRS, according to officials.

Officials said former Chief Financial Officer of the home healthcare company, Pamela Smith, also was charged and convicted in a related case.