A sales representative in Florida will serve nearly two years in federal prison for evading more than $3.7 million in federal income taxes over a 13-year period.
Phillip Mak of Jacksonville was sentenced to 22 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion. Court documents suggest that Mak earned more than $10 million between 2008 and 2020. Despite several IRS reminders and a Notice of Federal Tax Lien on his property, Mak paid no federal income taxes by the end of 2021.
Instead of paying his debt, Mak intentionally concealed his assets from federal officials. Between 2019 and 2021, he transferred $1 million to his domestic partner and signed over his home to a trust that his partner controlled. He also established a company structure to conceal his personal gains in a business bank account.
“Tax evasion isn’t a financial strategy—it’s a deliberate choice with predictable consequences,” explained Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Florida Field Office. “Avoiding your full tax liability is not a minor blunder; it is a significant violation of federal law. IRS Special Agents will investigate the money and submit the evidence in court.”
The IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case, which was announced by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe and Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cannizzaro, Trial Attorneys Isaiah Boyd, and Michael Jones.
In addition to his 22-month jail sentence, Mak must serve three years of supervised release and pay $3,751,485 in reparations to the US government.
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