Stratford Business Owner Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

A former long-time Madison resident, who owns and operates Equinox Home Care, LLC (EHC) in Stratford, pleaded guilty this week in federal court to tax evasion, announced John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kristina O’Connell, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in New England.

Theresa Foreman, 57, formerly of Madison, engaged in fraud schemes that diverted funds out of EHC for her personal benefit, and resulted in a tax loss of over $712,000, federal authorities said.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Foreman operated Equinox Home Care, LLC, a home healthcare staffing agency based in Stratford. Beginning as early as 2012, Foreman took money out of the company by depositing or cashing, and causing to be deposited or cashed, checks written to individuals who did not actually work for Equinox Home Care, officials said.

Between May 2012 and December 2013, approximately $413,000 in payroll checks to these “ghost employees” were deposited into accounts controlled by Foreman’s brother, federal authorities said.

During the same period, approximately $465,000 was withdrawn from the accounts in cash, cash back from deposits, or checks payable to Foreman, federal authorities said. Foreman also had employees cash company checks and return the funds to her, and she cashed or caused to be cashed mileage reimbursement checks made out to other individuals and used the funds for her own benefit, federal authorities said.

The investigation also revealed that between August 2014 and November 2015, Foreman made or caused to be made 101 cash deposits totaling $580,580 to a bank account in a family member’s name, federal authorities said.

Foreman failed to report the amounts that she received through this scheme on her federal tax returns for 2012, 2013, and 2014, federal authorities said. Foreman also owed tax for the 2010 and 2011 tax years and, on a statement submitted to the IRS, provided false information about her income and assets, federal authorities said.

In pleading guilty, Foreman agreed that her conduct for the 2010 through 2014 tax years has resulted in a loss of $712,445.71 to the Internal Revenue Service, officials said.

When she is sentenced, Foreman faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine and an order of restitution. A sentencing date is not scheduled. Foreman is a released on a $10,000 bond pending sentencing.