A Hartford attorney pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge for filing false tax returns that “substantially” underreported his income, prosecutors say.
Justin C. Freeman, 46, of Manchester, pleaded guilty in Bridgeport district court to one count of filing a false tax return and faces a maximum prison sentence of three years and a fine up to about $840,000, the Connecticut U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Freeman is scheduled for sentencing Feb. 20, 2019.
Freeman, who owns the Law Office of Justin C. Freeman at 90 Brainard Road, has already paid almost $420,000 in back taxes and agreed to cooperate with the IRS to reimburse all outstanding taxes, interest and penalties.
According to investigators, from 2010 through 2012, Freeman signed individual federal income tax returns that underreported the income he earned from his law firm. The returns were then filed by his tax preparer.
In 2010, Freeman reported about 55 percent of his total income to the feds, or $476,228 of the $860,041 he earned. Freeman reported even less income in 2011 ($410,002), despite earning more than $1 million. For 2012, he reported $529,673 in income but earned almost $697,000.
In total, Freeman reported about $1.4 million of almost $2.5 million in income.
Freeman’s law firm focuses on several practice areas, including personal injury, family law and real estate, according to the firm’s website.
