Danbury Businessman Pleads Guilty To Tax Invasion: Feds

DANBURY, CT — The owner of a Danbury tree service business pleaded guilty Monday to tax evasion in the U.S. District Court in Hartford.

Bill Makros, 57, owned and operated Budget Tree and Stump Removal Service, LLC. He failed to file his federal individual tax returns for tax years 2016 through 2020, neglecting to pay $140,462 in taxes on approximately $517,000 in net profits, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut said in a news release.

Makros concealed his income by receiving customer payments in the form of checks made payable to "cash" or to him personally, and by depositing the checks into bank accounts other than his business bank account. At times, he also cashed check payments and did not deposit the cash into any business or personal accounts, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.

In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Makros applied for pandemic relief loans and, as part of that process, submitted IRS Schedule C forms for his business that purported to be part of his tax returns for 2019 and 2020, even though he had not filed tax returns with the IRS for those years, prosecutors said.

Makros faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. He has been released on a personal recognizance bond pending sentencing on Sept. 27.