Gonzales business manager arrested in tax fraud crackdown

A Baton Rouge man who managed a used car dealership in Gonzales has been arrested in a tax fraud crackdown that has so far jailed 58 people under a joint initiative of the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) and Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office.

Michael Wayne Chauncy faces multiple felony charges for failing to report and pay taxes on nearly a half-million dollars in income.

Investigators said Chauncy did not file state individual income tax returns for the tax years 2007 through 2014. During that period, from 2011 through 2014, records show he earned $445,337 as a used car sales manager at a dealership in Gonzales.

Chauncy owes an estimated $25,032 in taxes on the unreported income. He was charged on Jan. 20 with penalty for failure to file and evasion of tax.

“Investigating and prosecuting tax fraud remains a top priority of the Department of Revenue,” said Secretary of Revenue Kimberly Robinson. “These arrests demonstrate that our partnership with the A.G.’s office and other agencies is producing tangible results for Louisiana taxpayers.” 

Since it began in 2013, the state’s anti-tax fraud crackdown has stopped $21 million in fraudulent refunds from being issued and collected $500,000 in restitution from those arrested.

As tax-filing season begins, LDR is intensifying its fraud detection program. Because of the effort to protect Louisiana citizens from identity theft and other forms of fraud, taxpayers who file their returns electronically can expect their refunds within 60 days