Ex-Henderson firefighter free after arrest on tax evasion charges
A retired Henderson firefighter was released on his own recognizance Wednesday, a day after his arrest in a tax evasion case.
Special agents with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation arrested Dwight Jackson in Henderson after a federal grand jury accused him of attempting to evade more than $130,000 in income taxes.
"As a government employee, we're profoundly aware that our wages come from taxpayer dollars. Here at IRS Criminal Investigation, we will vigorously investigate any allegations of a government employee evading their income taxes," said Paul Camacho, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office. "All Americans have to pay their fair share of taxes."
Jackson, 51, appeared Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. and pleaded not guilty to five counts of attempted tax evasion, a felony.
When Foley asked the defendant if he could afford to hire a lawyer, he replied, "Probably."
An assistant federal public defender represented Jackson at the hearing, and Jackson's trial was scheduled for Dec. 7.
According to the indictment, Jackson had a gross taxable income of about $644,000 from 2004 through 2008.
He is accused of attempting to evade the taxes he owed on that income by understating his wages on his individual income tax returns, by falsely claiming the earned income tax credit, by filing his returns in an untimely manner, by submitting false W-4 forms with his employer claiming he was exempt from federal tax withholdings, and by attempting to conceal his correct income from IRS authorities.
"Just because you may be a fellow civil servant doesn't mean you get a pass with IRS Criminal Investigation," Camacho said. "Lest anyone think otherwise, there's no employee discounts when it comes to federal income taxes."
In 2009, Jackson received pay and benefits totaling more than $280,000, according to the TransparentNevada website. In 2008, according to the website, his pay and benefits totaled almost $128,000.
Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.
