| Mannatech salesman sentenced for tax evasion
A Washington state man who sold health supplements for Mannatech Inc. has been sentenced to three years in prison for not paying the hundreds of thousands of dollars he owed in taxes. Raymond J. Gebauer, 55, of Lake Sammamish, Wash., was sentenced for four counts of tax evasion, following his conviction in August 2007. He also was ordered to pay a fine of $48,251, as well as the costs of prosecution. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Gebauer earned $3.5 million in 1998 to 2001 but never filed any tax returns. Prosecutors said Gebauer "attempted to use a web of trusts and corporations to hide his income from the government." Gebauer claimed on his Web site that he made more than $20,000 per month selling health supplements for Coppell-based Mannatech (Nasdaq: MTEX).
IRS offices offer help on getting tax rebate
Most federal Internal Revenue Service offices, including one in La Crosse, will be open Saturday to help retirees, veterans and low-income workers receive upcoming tax rebates.The local IRS office, in Room 204 on the second floor of the La Crosse post office at
425 State St., will be open from9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on "Super Saturday." It will help people who normally aren't required to file an income tax return complete a simple Form 1040A tax return so they can qualify for the rebate.The IRS office's regular hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.IRS personnel also will provide the same service from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 500 E. Veterans St. in Tomah, Wis."We encourage people to bring the right information, such as proper identification and proof of Social Security numbers for themselves and any dependent such as their wife and children, and benefit statements" such as W-2 earnings statements and annual Social Security notices of benefits paid in the previous year, said Christopher Miller, IRS spokesman in Milwaukee.About 320 IRS offices nationwide will be open Saturday to prepare the simple Form 1040A for people who are filing a return solely to receive their economic stimulus payment, Miller said.For millions of Americans, filing a tax return is not routine because their income either is too low or not taxable, IRS officials said.
IRS wants to give millions money
Millions of Americans could put hundreds of dollars in their pockets just by filing tax returns, according to the IRS. Filing a 2007 return by April 15 makes people eligible - even those who don't owe any taxes - for sizeable "economic stimulus" checks. And filing a 2004 return by April 15 is how a million Americans could collect the unclaimed $1.2 billion in refunds the agency has waiting for them. Just in Pennsylvania and New Jersey alone, more than $80 million is owed to more than 85,000 people who never filed a 2004 income-tax return. More than $550 awaits most of those eligible, according to IRS. Taxpayers must file by April 15, however, or that refund will become the property of the U.S. Treasury. No penalties are charged for filing late, if the taxpayer is owed a refund.
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