A Wausau man has been indicted in federal court on three counts of tax evasion from a large amount of money.
The charges against 55-year-old Leonard Kersten allege he attempted to evade income tax owed by him and his spouse by filing false tax returns which substantially understated his gross income for three years. The indictment alleges that Kersten used his position as a bookkeeper and office manager for a lumber company in Birnamwood to write checks from the company’s checking account to himself and his spouse. They allege he also created false entries in the company’s general ledger.
The indictment alleges that between 2007 and 2017, Kersten wrote and concealed approximately $1.7 million in checks, and that he failed to report any of the income from these checks.
If convicted, Kersten faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison on each count.
