Medford Man Sentenced for Conspiracy and Tax Fraud in Workers’ Comp Scam

Roland Joy of Medford Mass. has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel to 4 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, the first 4 months of which are to be served in home detention, for his role in obtaining illegal unemployment benefits.

Joy, 36, was convicted on several counts of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and of filing a false personal tax returns. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training.

Evidence presented during the six-day trial reportedly proved that from 1993 through 1995, Stoneham Towing, Inc., located in Stoneham, Mass., paid cash wages “under the table” to Joy and other employees, thereby avoiding a significant amount of corporate payroll tax as well as employees’ personal income taxes. The evidence also proved that Joy and others, including the company’s principals, conspired to obstruct an IRS audit and to file false tax returns. Joy filed false returns for the years 1993, 1994, and 1995 that failed to report the wages received in cash.