A Neillsville church treasurer and tax-preparer facing charges of embezzling more than $100,000 from the Calvary Lutheran Church logged additional criminal charges Monday in Clark County Circuit Court of filing false income tax returns.
John Roenz, 63, didn't report as income the money he is accused of stealing from the church, according to a criminal complaint that details six felony counts of filing false returns. Roenz was released on a $2,500 signature bond.
The complaint claims Roenz took amounts of $10,695 in 2004 to $24,827 in 2009 totaling $112,703. By not reporting that income, the complaint says, Roenz evaded state income taxes of $8,684. He had income those years from a pension and from the Neillsville school district, the complaint notes, and reported losses working as a tax preparer.
In November Roenz was charged with felony theft based on an investigation by the Neillsville Police Department showing he made entries into the church's financial software of checks paid to legitimate vendors, but the actual checks were made out to Roenz. He had "total control" of the church's financial dealings, the complaint notes.
The church discovered the losses last year and, when confronted, Roenz told the church council president he would pay the money back and "law enforcement didn't need to be involved." He told a police officer he took the money because he was "angry that the congregation didn't care that the church was operating in the red." He spent the money on "a bunch of crap," he said, in addition to eating out and occasionally gambling.
In 2007, he claimed $34,767 in income from gambling, according to tax form details included in the complaint.
He also claimed he only took money in 2010, and that he had receipts for cash purchases made in earlier years, but he threw those receipts away, an unusual act for a professional tax preparer, the complaint said.
A preliminary hearing was set for March 1.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment