A former Prince George’s County, Maryland, police lieutenant pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal tax evasion charge for underreporting over $1 million in income from his security business.
Edward Scott Finn, 48, of Dunkirk, was with the Prince George’s County Police Department while he owned and operated Edward Finn Inc., a private security company.
Finn admitted to underreporting a total of more than $1.3 million of business income on his individual income tax returns between 2014 and 2019, according to his plea agreement and other court documents.
He also created false business expenses to lower his tax burden by writing checks to relatives and friends for purported services performed; and used business funds to purchase a boat, a car, and other items for his personal use, according to a release from the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland.
When federal agents went to arrest Finn on a search warrant, officials said, he began erasing and resetting his phone before opening the door to his home.
Finn was a member of the Prince George’s County Police Department between December 1995 and April 2021, according to the U.S. Justice Department.
The former officer faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and will be required to pay the total tax loss of $367,765.