Florida medical device manufacturer admits guilt in tax evasion case

A Florida man has pleaded guilty to tax evasion, admitting that he avoided paying his fair share of his income to the state for more than two decades.

According to court documents and official statements, 76-year-old Roger Whitman manufactured and sold medical devices. Between 2002 and 2018, Whitman generated millions of dollars in gross revenue from the sale of such devices.


According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Whitman has not filed an income tax return or paid any taxes since 2000. In 2012, the IRS assessed nearly $800,000 in taxes on Whitman for tax years 2002 through 2009. To conceal his income and assets, Whitman then created a trust with his girlfriend as trustee. Whitman convinced his girlfriend to open two bank accounts in the name of the trust, for which Whitman's girlfriend had sole signatory authority. Whitman then transferred his business income to the trust's bank accounts and used the funds from those accounts to pay personal expenses. To further thwart the IRS's collection efforts, in July 2019 Whitman created a new corporation to run his business.


Whitman owed the IRS more than $2.4 million. Sentencing is scheduled for November 13. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, plus probation and fines.


The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.


The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case.


Trial attorneys Melissa Siskind and Andres Chinchilla of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case with the assistance and support of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.