Valley woman pleads guilty to tax evasion

Staff report
Published: June 15, 2008

The United States Attorney’s office for the Middle District of Alabama announced Friday that a Valley woman has pleaded guilty to a federal tax evasion charge.

Dina Michelle Starnes, 35, of Valley, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in U.S. District Court before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry F. Moorer, according a Department of Justice release press release.

From December 2003 through August 2007, Starnes was employed as a bookkeeper at an accounting firm in Opelika, the DOJ release states. The firm would write checks for payroll and to pay vendors for one of the firm’s clients. From 2004 to 2007, Starnes embezzled approximately $529,000 from said client, according to the release.

At first, she would write payroll checks to herself, using variations of her actual name, and would then either deposit or cash the checks, according to the release. Later, Starnes
began writing checks for much larger amounts, covering her activities by making entries in the client’s books to make it appear as if the checks had been written to legitimate vendors.

Starnes did not file a federal income tax return for 2004, and filed tax returns for 2005 and 2006 that failed to declare the embezzled $529,000 as income, the release states. The total tax evaded from 2004 through 2006 was approximately $115,159.

Starnes faces a statutory maximum penalty of five years imprisonment, an order of restitution and costs of prosecution, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the release. Starnes was released pending sentencing on a $25,000 unsecured bond.

The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, with the assistance of the Opelika Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew O. Schiff.