Date: December 22, 2021 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov BUFFALO, NY — U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Richard Stenhouse, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Williams M. Skretny to filing a false tax return. The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas A. C. Penrose, who is handling the case, stated that Stenhouse received approximately $397,942 in salary payments from the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church that he did not report as income on his tax returns for the tax years 2014 through 2018. The Internal Revenue Service estimates the taxes due for these tax years is $95,896. The plea is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Thomas Fattorusso the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Stephen Belongia, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Christina Scaringi. Sentencing is scheduled for May 18, 2022, at 11 a.m. before Judge Skretny.
