Mesa man indicted for tax evasion

A Mesa businessman was indicted on multiple charges of fraud, tax evasion and interference with the IRS in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Thursday.

John D. Stacey, 36, of Mesa faces 11 charges including multiple counts of fraudulent use of Social Security, income tax evasion and corrupt interference with the due administration of the Internal Revenue Service.

Stacey owned several paving businesses in the Valley, including A to Z Paving, Triple A Paving, Texas Paving, Pave Your Way Construction, and A to Z Paving Engineering LLC. According to authorities, he failed to report individual income returns from 1995 to 2003.

The charges stem from a civil investigation that claims Stacey failed to report or pay his 1995-97 tax liabilities, and that Stacey falsified information given to an IRS civil auditor from 1998 through 2003, according to court documents.

Indictment records said that Stacey deposited business receipts into bank accounts held under his mother's name, provided false Social Security numbers and employer identification numbers when conducting financial and business transactions, and filed bankruptcy and financial disclosure statements that understated his assets and income.

Stacey could face a maximum potential sentence of five years in federal prison for the tax evasion charge, three years in prison for the corrupt endeavor charge, and five years in prison for each fraudulent use of a Social Security number charge, court authorities said.

If convicted, Stacey also faces a fine of $250,000 for each charged count.

Stacey will receive a summons and be arraigned at a later date.