Payroll Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crimes

A Florida man pleaded guilty to not paying employment taxes withheld from his employees’ pay and to filing a false tax return, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

According to the DOJ, Matthew Brown owned and operated businesses, including Elite Payroll, a payroll services company that provided services to small businesses. The company withheld taxes from clients’ employees but failed to pay over $20 million in taxes to the Internal Revenue Service between 2014 and 2022. Instead, Brown used the funds to purchase real estate, a yacht, a private jet, and luxury cars.

In total, Brown caused a tax loss ...