Tax evader earns three years in prison

CHARLOTTE COUNTY — Peter Hesser, 51, of Port Charlotte, has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for three counts of filing false tax returns and one count of tax evasion.

Hesser, who was found guilty in December, was also ordered to pay $296,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's office.

Federal authorities contend Hesser filed fraudulent documents with the IRS in which he claimed he was owed $500,000 in tax refunds for 2005, 2006 and 2007. Those documents, however, “were not legitimate and were prepared with the sole purpose of defrauding the government,” according to the statement. Hesser also changed his assets into gold and silver, prosecutors argued at the trial, and he hid his mortgage payments in a bogus land transfer to avoid paying his taxes. 

Hesser's fraud stretched a decade, say prosecutors, which enabled him to evade taxes assessed for 2001, 2002 and 2003. In addition to prison and the restitution, Hesser was also ordered to three years of supervised release after prison.