PHILADELPHIA, PA —A Philadelphia contractor has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison, following his guilty plea to charges of tax evasion, according to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Murat Aslansan, 55, the sole owner of MA-SA Construction LLC, also faces two years of supervised release, a $10,000 fine, and restitution payments totaling $327,723 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Joshua D. Wolson on Tuesday, November 26. The charges stem from an investigation that revealed a deliberate, multi-year effort by Aslansan to underreport income and evade tax responsibilities.
From 2016 to 2018, Aslansan operated his construction and home maintenance business in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood. During this time, he cashed business checks through a check-cashing service instead of depositing them into business accounts, thereby concealing over $600,000 in gross business receipts from his tax filings. This practice persisted through 2019 and 2020, during which Aslansan entirely neglected to file federal income tax returns. According to court records, his actions resulted in an unpaid tax liability exceeding $327,000.
Aslansan pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges earlier this year in July. His sentence underscores the severity of the crime and highlights the broader implications of tax noncompliance on public trust and societal fairness.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero emphasized the broader impact of tax evasion on society, stating, “By evading his tax responsibilities of more than $300,000, Murat Aslansan cheated not just the government, but all taxpayers who dutifully, if ruefully, pay their fair share to the IRS. Tax evasion may seem tempting, but be forewarned, it will wind up costing you dearly when you’re arrested, prosecuted, and even imprisoned for these crimes.”
Similarly, Amy MacNeely, Acting IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge, expressed the agency’s resolve in investigating deliberate violations of tax laws. She noted, “Individuals like Mr. Aslansan, who intentionally violate the law to evade paying their fair share of taxes, undermine public confidence in our tax system. Anyone contemplating cheating on their taxes should know that our largest enforcement program is directed at the portion of American taxpayers who willfully and intentionally violate their known legal duty of filing and paying their taxes.”
This case, investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright, serves as a pointed reminder of the consequences of tax evasion.
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