A Harris County man has been sentenced to federal prison for failing to report and pay employment taxes, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Joseth “Joe” Limon pleaded guilty on May 27. U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Limon to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The court also ordered him to pay approximately $8.7 million in restitution.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Rosenthal addressed Limon’s claim that he was a hardworking businessman who had never asked for help from anyone, stating, “he just took from the United States.”
Limon owned Platinum Employment Group Inc., which provided laborers to businesses in Houston. From 2013 through 2018, the company did not file employment tax returns and failed to pay more than $8.7 million in taxes based on its payroll records.
After closing Platinum, Limon established another staffing company, Rockwell Staffing LLC, under a relative’s name. When he learned the IRS was seeking to collect employment taxes from Rockwell, he caused his relative to submit an affidavit falsely claiming that Rockwell had been a victim of identity theft and did not owe any employment taxes.
Limon will remain free on bond until he voluntarily surrenders to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shirin Hakimzadeh and Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Tax Division prosecuted the case.
