The manager of four staffing companies operating in Key West, Florida, was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to evade taxes and committing immigration fraud, the US Department of Justice reported Monday.
The manager, Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk, and his co-conspirators defrauded the IRS out of more than $3.5 million in employment taxes.
According to the department, from January 2016 to October 2020, Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk helped operate four staffing companies in southern Florida — Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC — and facilitated the employment of individuals in hotels, bars and restaurants in Key West when the employees were not authorized to work in the US.
As part of his plea, Ogorodnychuk pleaded guilty to paying the workers without withholding Social Security, Medicare and income taxes from their wages and not reporting those wages to the IRS.
In addition to the term of imprisonment, Ogorodnychuk will serve three years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined within 90 days.