United States of America v. Ryan Glidewell, Alyssa Glidewell, Edward Zanes, et al.

Greeneville, Tennessee, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendants charged with fraud.

Reported by Kent Morlan

Ryan Glidewell, Alyssa Glidewell, Edward Zanes, and others, conspired to file false tax returns seeking refunds based on the Employee Retention Credit and paid Sick and Family Leave Credit, both of which were created by Congress to aid struggling businesses during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The defendants, led by Ryan Glidewell, created at least eleven phony businesses, which lacked any employees or operations, for the sole purpose of falsely claiming the credits. Members of the conspiracy then filed numerous false tax returns for those businesses and directed the tax refunds to be mailed to addresses controlled by conspirators.

In total, the false returns filed from the eleven sham businesses claimed over $3.4 million in tax refunds, of which the IRS paid $1.8 million.

“The defendants in this case exploited governmental efforts to assist businesses during a time of unprecedented uncertainty,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigorously prosecute individuals that steal from the citizenry through tax fraud.”

“Edward Zanes and his co-conspirators created fake companies, filed fraudulent tax forms, and tried to steal from programs meant to help Americans during the pandemic,” said Donald “Trey” Eakins, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Charlotte Field Office. “IRS CI special agents, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to uncover COVID-19 relief fraud and hold anyone who files false tax returns fully accountable.”

IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service investigated the case.

Assistant United States Attorneys Ryan Blackwell and Mac Heavener, and Trial Attorney Zachary A. Cobb formerly with the Justice Department’s Tax Division, represented the United States.

A total term of 84 months imprisonment. 84 months as to Count 1, 84 months as to Count 15, and 36 months as to Count 19, to be served concurrently. A total term of three (3) years supervised release. Three (3) years as to Count 1, three (3) years as to Count 15, and one (1) year as to Count 19, to run concurrently; Restitution: 1,806,637.41 J/S; A special assessment of $300.00