Highland Park Man Pleads Guilty To Evading Over $800K In Taxes

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A Highland Park man pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally evading more than $800,000 in personal and corporate taxes by hiding his income through a cellular phone distribution company, according to the Department of Justice.

Jordan Eckerling, 52, is the sole owner of Pagecomm. The company sold cellphones and gear for an unnamed provider, who paid it commissions and provided it equipment at wholesale prices, according to his plea agreement.

In the agreement, Eckerling admitted trying to conceal his income between 2008 and 2012 by using business accounts for personal expenses – including a family vacation to Mexico, landscaping services and payments to a housekeeper to regularly clean his boat and two of his homes.

Eckerling went on to falsely report a negative income of ($8,354) when his actual income during calender year 2009 was more than $731,000, according to the agreement.

He also made false entries in his company's books, causing it to fail to maintain proper records.

The plea agreement Eckerling signed said he added his wife to the payroll of his company, even though she was employed elsewhere, in order to get health insurance under her name and hide the income he was siphoning off the company.

Eckerling pleaded guilty to a single count of tax evasion, which is punishable by a sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, according to prosecutors. His sentencing hearing has been set for May 17.

» Read the complete plea agreement

_{Top photo via Shutterstock}