St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, April 21, 2017… At the conclusion of a joint investigation with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC), the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) filed 28 tax fraud charges under the Income Tax Act and three charges under the Criminal Code against Raymond Mahoney, a resident of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Under the Income Tax Act, Mr. Mahoney is charged with filing his own false tax returns in 2011 and 2012, as well as for participating in the filing of false tax returns for 25 other individuals in 2012. The total amount of fraudulent refunds related to these false tax returns equaled $85,037. Under the Criminal Code, Mr. Mahoney is charged with forgery, uttering forged documents, and fraud.

Mr. Mahoney is expected to appear in provincial court in St. John’s on May 30, 2017.

The preceding information was obtained from the court records.

When taxpayers are convicted of income tax evasion, they must still repay the full amount of taxes owing, plus interest and any civil penalties that may be assessed by the CRA. In addition, the court may fine them up to 200% of the taxes evaded and impose a jail term of up to five years. A jail term of up to 14 years may be imposed for convictions under section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.

If you have ever made an omission, the CRA is offering you a second chance to make things right through its Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP). If you make a valid disclosure before you become aware that the CRA is taking action against you, you may only have to pay the taxes owing plus interest. More information on the VDP can be found on the CRA's website at www.cra.gc.ca/voluntarydisclosures.

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For broadcast use

A St. John’s man is facing more than two dozen tax fraud charges under the Income Tax Act, as well as three charges under the Criminal Code for forgery, uttering forged documents, and fraud. Raymond Mahoney is charged with filing his own false tax returns in 2011 and 2012, as well as participating in the filing of false tax returns for 25 other individuals in 2012. The amount of fraudulent refunds related to these false tax returns totaled $85,037. Mahoney is expected to appear in provincial court in St. John’s on the 30^th of May.