C.P.A. PLEADS GUILTY TO FRAUD

Boston, MA... A Burlington C.P.A. has pled guilty to charges that he participated in a con game in which the victim – who was himself under criminal investigation – paid $20,000 in the
belief that a high government official would “fix” the case against him.

United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan, Paul E. Pelletier, Acting Chief, Fraud Section, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Kenneth W. Kaiser, Special Agent in
Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New England, Kevin J. McGlynn, Special Agent in Charge, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, announced today that
GREG TAKESIAN, 43, of Burlington, Massachusetts, has pled guilty to an Information filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The Information charges TAKESIAN with one count of Wire Fraud and one count of Making False Statements to Federal Investigators.

At the plea hearing before United States District Judge Rya W. Zobel, TAKESIAN admitted that he joined with others to defraud an individual by falsely representing that his coschemers could “fix” a pending federal criminal tax investigation against that individual. TAKESIAN introduced the victim to a co-schemer who, in turn, claimed that another coschemer was a former high government official who could intervene to end an ongoing criminal investigation. The price for this fix was to be $75,000, of which the victim paid $20,000 as a down payment. In reality, there was no high government official and the schemers kept the money for themselves.

TAKESIAN also admitted that, in a separate incident, he lied to federal investigators in order to help a fugitive elude capture.

On the wire fraud charge TAKESIAN faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, 3 years supervised release and a $100 special assessment. On the
false statement charge TAKESIAN faces a maximum of 5 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, 3 years supervised release and an additional $100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of the United States Department of the Treasury, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and Federal Bureau of
Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Joel E. Leising of the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division, Fraud Section, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul G. Levenson of Sullivan’s Public Corruption Unit.

Press Contact: Christina DiIorio-Sterling 617-748-3356.