A heartfelt thank you to Jon Snyder for doing what no one else in Porter County has the balls to do: standing up to his corrupt brother, Portage Mayor James Snyder. For too long, Mayor Snyder has been protected by the silence of officials throughout the county - with total disrespect for the harm he has caused others. THANK YOU, JON SNYDER - hopefully other officials will follow in your footsteps.
Peace and love,
Renee' Harrington
Porter County assessor pleads guilty to federal tax charge
NWI Times - Steve Garrison
Kokomo Perspective
October 30, 2018
http://kokomoperspective.com/politics/indiana/porter-county-assessor-pleads-guilty-to-federal-tax-charge/article_51900084-f903-52bd-81a1-be69f87240ca.html
Porter County Assessor Jon M. Snyder pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor tax charge in U.S. District Court, clearing the way for his cooperation with federal officials prosecuting his brother, Portage Mayor James Snyder, in an unrelated corruption case.
Jon Snyder, 42, was read and waived his trial rights before admitting his private company, Shoreline Appraisals Inc., failed to file a tax form informing the IRS he paid $6,000 to an independent contractor in 2013 to provide his company services.
The assessor was required under federal law to file an Informational Return 1099 Form by Feb. 28, 2014, informing the IRS he hired the independent contractor and how much the contractor was paid.
"Guilty, your honor," Jon Snyder told Magistrate Judge John E. Martin, when asked how he pleaded to willful failure to supply information to the IRS.
Snyder said he had a college degree and suffered no mental illness or addiction, which would impair his ability to understand Tuesday's proceeding. The assessor said he was born in Charleston, West Virginia.
Jon Snyder was arraigned Oct. 19 on the misdemeanor charge. Under the terms of a plea agreement filed later that day, he agreed to “cooperate fully, truthfully and candidly” with the U.S. attorney's office in unspecified criminal investigations.
Matthew Fech, defense attorney for Jon Snyder, previously confirmed his client was a cooperating witness against James Snyder, who is awaiting trial on felony bribery and extortion charges related to Portage towing vendors and public works contracts, as well as tax evasion charges related to his private business.
Fech said Tuesday Jon Snyder accepted responsibility for his actions as it related to his private business. Fech said Snyder's offense was unrelated to his work as Porter County assessor, and his client had no plans to resign from office.
Fech said, personally, he hoped any elected official that committed criminal acts while in office would accept responsibility for their actions.
Snyder is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27, though he agreed the U.S. attorney could defer his sentencing hearing until his cooperation is complete.
Willful failure to supply information to the IRS carries a maximum sentence of one-year incarceration and a fine of $100,000. The government agreed it would recommend the judge sentence Snyder to the minimum allowed under federal guidelines, though the judge is not required to follow the recommendation.
Prosecutors also agreed Snyder would face no further criminal tax charges for the 2008 through 2013 tax years.
NWI Times
October 19, 2018
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/portage-county-assessor-jon-snyder-arraigned-in-federal-court-on/article_2dd97213-58ad-5a43-bd86-6b38a8b87ea3.html
HAMMOND — Porter County Assessor Jon M. Snyder will cooperate with federal authorities in the corruption case against his brother, Portage Mayor James Snyder, as part of a plea agreement in an unrelated tax case, his attorney said.
Jon Snyder, dressed in a blue suit with brown loafers, was arraigned Friday morning in the U.S. District Court of Hammond on allegations he failed to supply information to the IRS, a Class A misdemeanor. The parties agreed Snyder would be released from federal custody on a $20,000 unsecured appearance bond until a plea hearing scheduled for Oct. 30.
Jon Snyder admitted in a plea agreement filed Friday afternoon that as owner of Shoreline Appraisals Inc., his private business, he failed to file tax forms with the IRS for an independent contractor his company hired in 2013.
He agreed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge and will face no new criminal tax charges for the 2008 through 2013 tax years, the agreement states.
As part of the agreement, Jon Snyder also agreed to “cooperate fully, truthfully and candidly” with federal authorities regarding his “knowledge of or involvement in, any violation of federal or state law.”
Matthew Fech, defense attorney for Jon Snyder, confirmed Friday afternoon his client was a cooperating witness against James Snyder, who was charged in November 2016 with felony bribery and extortion charges related to Portage towing vendor and public works contracts, as well as tax evasion charges related to his private business.
Fech said his client's case was unrelated to the corruption case.
“His case stands apart from his brother's case,” Fech said. “There is no allegation that my client was involved in a pay-to-play scheme.”
The defense attorney declined to comment on whether Jon Snyder had recorded conversations with his brother as part of the federal investigation.
Fech said outside the courthouse Friday morning Jon Snyder had accepted responsibility for the tax offense, which resulted from a “filing error” related to his private appraisal business. He said Snyder's business hired an independent contractor to perform services, but then failed to file tax forms alerting the IRS of the contractor's work.
Fech said Jon Snyder had no intention to resign as Porter County assessor. He said the allegations had nothing to do with his client's work as county assessor. He said Jon Snyder was married with 10 children, and at the time of his mistake, he had “a lot going on” with his private business and family.
“To be clear, Mr. Snyder is accepting responsibility for errors related to his appraisal business,” Fech said.
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