Suspended Bloomfield Lawyer Gets Probation For Not Paying Taxes

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A suspended Essex County lawyer was sentenced Thursday to three years’ probation, including 10 months of home confinement, for failing to pay personal and employment payroll taxes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (New Jersey).

Richard Roberts, 80, of Bloomfield, previously pleaded guilty to one count of failing to pay payroll taxes and one count of failing to pay personal income taxes, prosecutors said.

According to court documents and statements, Roberts was the sole owner of legal practice he operated out of a law office in Newark. He maintained at least one employee, besides himself, and managed all aspects of the law office.

“Roberts was required to deduct and withhold federal income and insurance taxes from his employees’ wages,” prosecutors stated. “He was required to prepare and file quarterly forms that reported to the IRS the total amount of wages paid by an employer to all employees (Forms 941). Roberts was required to pay the employer’s portion of the payroll tax to the IRS. For the 12 quarters of the tax years 2009 through 2011, Roberts failed to make any payroll tax payment to the IRS. In each quarter, Roberts either failed to file a Form 941 or failed to pay the payroll tax reflected on the form.”

According to prosecutors, Roberts has not paid personal income taxes since at least 2000.

On June 24, 2012, Roberts filed a tax return for the tax years 2007 through 2010, listing the amount of tax due on each return. For example, on the 2010 tax return, Roberts listed a tax due of $20,361, but he has to date failed to pay the tax for tax years 2007 through 2010, prosecutors said.

In addition to the probationary term, Roberts was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and ordered to pay $224,962 in restitution.

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