KANSAS CITY - A metro man has admitted to his crimes after being accused of stealing more than a million dollars from the federal government.
The guilty plea from 51-year-old Richard Schiele Junior of Independence came during a court hearing on Wednesday.
Schiele was federally charged with fraud after filing nine Employer’s Quarterly Tax Return forms in April of last year, fraudulently claiming nearly $1.4 million in Employee Retention Credits from COVID 19 relief funds. In reality, the company didn’t have any workers.
Schiele Family Own Distribution was awarded $478,890 in checks from the IRS. They were able to claw back just under $350,000 of that. As part of the plea deal, Schiele will pay the remaining $130,000 in restitution and could be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.