Robert P. Benefant, President of AVC Technology Systems has been charged by federal prosecutors with filing a false tax return and bankruptcy fraud. He allegedly used companies he owns or partially owns to hide income so he wouldn’t have to pay the government back taxes he allegedly owed. The government alleges he hid more than $680,000 of income from 2009 through 2012. His Facebook page says that he was born and raised in Salem Ma. and lives in Topsfield Massachusetts.
He was charged via an information rather than indictment. When asked in a bankruptcy deposition whether he planned to plead guilty to criminal charges, Bonefant invoked the fifth amendment in declining to answer.
The government is seeking among penalties to seize Bonefant’s assets. For the tax years from 2009 to 2012, Bonefant received payments totaling nearly $681,000 from the two companies, but reported only his wife’s income on the couple’s joint income tax returns in some years, under-reported his income in other years, and did not file a return at all for 2010, prosecutors said.
Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers.
