August 10, 2022

Thomas Valdez Rodriguez will spend 24 months in prison and will pay over $12.7 million in restitution to the IRS. As owner of Tom-E-Lee Trucking and Tom-E-Lee Industries, Rodriguez failed to withhold employment taxes from his employees. In addition to his failures to meet his businesses’ tax obligations, Rodriguez has not paid personal income taxes since 2011. Rather than paying his taxes, Rodriguez lived extravagantly and enjoyed flying his friends on private jets to Dallas Cowboys games, where Rodriguez was a season ticket holder on the 50-yard line. All told, the harm to the government equated $12,714,214.42, of which Rodriguez paid $1 million immediately prior to his sentencing. USAO WDTX

Tagged in: Criminal Proceedings, Employment Tax Fraud, Tax Fraud,