Local Attorney Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report $600K

A Dracut attorney failed to report more than $600,000 to the IRS and failed to pay nearly $200,000 in federal taxes, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

John F. Paczkowski, 73, pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston to two counts of filing false personal tax returns for 2009 and 2010.

Paczkowski was the sole practitioner at his legal office in Dracut, a position which required holding client funds in a trust separate from his own, according to a release from U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz's Office. Paczkowski failed to report to the IRS more than $630,000 he took from clients and failed to pay more than $192,000 in federal taxes, according to the release.

Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2017. The charging statute provides for a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.