WASHINGTON D.C.
A former California man made a court appearance this week after being extradited to the U.S. from Costa Rica so that he could be sentenced by a federal judge, according to authorities.
Robin J. McPherson was convicted for tax crimes in 2000, officials stated.
In December 2000, McPherson, formerly of San Diego, and two co-conspirators were found guilty at trial of conspiring to defraud the IRS and tax evasion.
According to evidence presented at trial, McPherson was the President, Chief Operating Officer, and co-owner of Continental Wireless Cable Inc., a telemarketing company.
The business sold more than $30 million in partnership interests in wireless cable systems before being shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
McPherson and his co-conspirators took steps to evade paying taxes on profits earned by Continental Wireless Cable Inc., causing a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1 million in taxes, according to the evidence.
Following McPherson’s trial conviction in 2000, the district court ordered him and his co-defendants to appear for sentencing in March 2001.
Instead, McPherson fled the United States and did not return for the sentencing hearing.
“It is fitting that Robin McPherson was arrested and returned to the United States to be sentenced on his tax crime convictions,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “While honest Americans are paying their fair share this filing season, they will be reminded that the department and IRS will ensure that those who have defrauded the IRSs are held fully accountable, no matter how long it takes.”
“The defendant was convicted for his role in a complex financial fraud scheme in 2000 and fled the U.S. before he was sentenced,” said Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “This international arrest and deportation, more than two decades later, should serve as notice to FBI fugitives worldwide – neither time nor distance will deter the FBI from tracking down wanted fugitives and holding them accountable in U.S. courts.”
McPherson is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date. McPherson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of the conspiracy and tax evasion counts.
He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.
McPherson also is wanted in federal court in Oregon for fraud and money laundering charges.
In October 2020, McPherson was charged by a criminal complaint in federal court in Oregon for his role in a fraud scheme in which he allegedly solicited $1.2 million in investments from victims in a fake Costa Rican real estate development opportunity.
McPherson allegedly used investor funds to pay for various personal expenses including his own mortgage, according to officials.