An audiologist pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in San Francisco today to one count of tax evasion and admitted embezzling more than $750,000 while working in San Francisco, according to the United States Attorney’s office.
Michael Ryan Trythall, 37, a professional audiologist, admitted today to stealing money from his former employer, a San Francisco audiology practice, between 2009 and 2012, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors said Trythall performed bookkeeping services for the San Francisco firm and had access to the business’s financial records. He was authorized to print business checks for others to sign, but not to issues checks of his own, prosecutors said.
Trythall issued business checks payable to himself, forged the signatures on the checks and then deposited those checks into his personal bank account, prosecutors said.
Trythall also caused credit card payments made by clients to the business to be misdirected into an account he controlled. He then used that money to pay for vacation and shopping at luxury retail stores, prosecutors said.
In order to conceal his efforts, Trythall omitted payments to himself from the business’s accounting books, made false entries, and failed to disclose transactions, prosecutors said.
He also failed to pay income tax on the money he embezzled, resulting in $230,000 in money owed to the government, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors charged Trythall on Sept. 25 with three counts of tax evasion, and he pleaded guilty to one count.
Trythall’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 11, 2015 at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Edward Chen in the United States District Court of San Francisco. Prosecutors said the maximinum penalty for each count of tax evasion is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Erin Baldassari, Bay City News
