Robert E. Alick, the subject of DOTmed Honest/Dishonest Forum Posts, is charged with fraud, IRS tells DOTmed News

CLEVELAND -- A Federal Grand Jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned an indictment charging Robert E. Alick with 11 counts of mail fraud, 2 counts of wire fraud, 1 count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Service, 1 count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, 6 counts of willful failure to pay over employment taxes, and 13 counts of willful failure to collect, account for and pay over employment taxes. The proceedings took place Feb. 25, 2009 the IRS informed DOTmed News.

The indictment alleges that from about July of 2002 through April of 2006, in the Northern District of Ohio, Alick did knowingly devise and intend to devise a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain money by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. As part of the scheme Alick agreed to purchase medical equipment and took possession of the medical equipment, falsely representing that he would pay for the equipment.
As part of the scheme, Alick took money from his customers that was intended to be used to purchase used medical equipment and did not deliver any equipment, delivered the wrong equipment, or delivered broken equipment.

To further the scheme Alick changed the names of his companies and, in the case of his one corporation, arranged for a mail drop and a telephone answering service in Denver, Colorado to continue to solicit and collect funds from customers without being associated with the failed business transactions of the other companies. Alick also directed sales people to use false names when directing sales calls to make it more difficult for a customer to associate a particular sales person with a particular company or transaction.

The indictment charges that Alick provided false and misleading information to the Internal Revenue Service, failed pay over payroll withholding taxes from March of 2002 through September of 2003, and failed to account for, collect and pay over withholding taxes from January 31, 2004 through January 31, 2007.

Alick was aided in his scheme by David and Theresa Skok of Westlake, Ohio. David and Theresa Skok plead guilty on February 20, 2008, and are awaiting sentencing.

If convicted, the defendant's sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant's prior criminal record, if any, the defendant's role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The government's case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael L. Collyer following an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Source: IRS

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