Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Tax Evasion, Fraud and Identity Theft
The plea agreement calls for nearly $1.2 million in restitution to the IRS, with sentencing scheduled for October.
JACKSONVILLE, Ore. — A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty Tuesday to nine federal charges involving unpaid employment taxes, fraudulent loan applications and the use of another person’s identity to obtain a residential mortgage.
Joel Matthew Caswell, 31, admitted to three counts of tax evasion, three counts of willfully failing to pay employment taxes, one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Federal prosecutors said Caswell held ownership and management interests in multiple logging and construction businesses that collectively employed approximately 40 people. He was also a trustee and beneficiary of the Caswell Family Trust.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Caswell withheld payroll taxes from employees between 2018 and 2022 but failed to pay those funds to the federal government.
The unpaid payroll taxes led the Internal Revenue Service to assess a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty in 2019.
Prosecutors said Caswell attempted to prevent the IRS from collecting the unpaid taxes by directing customers to write checks to other companies or to him personally, moving money from the businesses and providing false information to IRS collection officers.
Federal authorities also accused Caswell of carrying out multiple fraud schemes in Oregon between 2022 and 2024.
According to prosecutors, Caswell submitted fabricated financial records to a bank, a private lender and the U.S. Small Business Administration in an effort to obtain loans.
He also used another person’s name, Social Security number and date of birth to obtain a residential mortgage, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
As part of the plea agreement, Caswell agreed to pay $1,198,799.83 in restitution to the IRS.
He faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in federal prison, a $1 million fine and five years of supervised release. Maximum penalties are established by law and do not necessarily reflect the sentence that will ultimately be imposed.
Caswell is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9, 2026, before a U.S. district court judge.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Bureau of Land Management.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Brassell for the District of Oregon and Trial Attorney J. Parker Gochenour of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.
Cover image: Joel Matthew Caswell had plead guilty to nine federal tax and fraud charges and agreed to pay nearly $1.2 million in restitution to the IRS. Pexels stock photo.
