SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 20, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Farmington man who headed a medical charity was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $485,982 in back taxes.
Ashley Robinson, CEO of a Salt Lake-based charity, has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for evading taxes on $1.3 million he was paid as part of a scheme with a donor, the U.S. Attorney for Utah announced in a Friday press release.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Robinson’s charity collected and distributed medical supplies overseas. As CEO, Robinson entered into a secret arrangement with a purported donor, Gurcharan “Jazzy” Singh, the Department of Justice prosecutors explained.
“Singh provided medical supplies to the charity, making it appear as if these supplies had been donated to the charity. Robinson then arranged for the charity to sell the goods to a third-party, passing most of the sale proceeds back to Singh. As compensation, Singh then paid Robinson up to 10% of the total proceeds.”
From 2013 through 2019, Robinson personally received $1.3 million from this scheme which he did not report or pay taxes on, the release said. “Instead, he used the funds to pay off the mortgage on his principal residence and to buy multiple luxury vehicles, including a Maserati, a Mercedes Benz and an Audi for a coworker.”
Robinson caused a tax loss to the IRS of $485,982. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parish ordered Robinson to pay the $485,982 in restitution to the United States.
Singh was separately prosecuted in the Central District of California and sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison. The IRS Criminal Investigation division investigated the case.
