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Construction Company Owners Plead Guilty In Tax Evasion Scheme

Yuichi Sakuraba
/
Flickr
The owners of a construction company in Billings Tuesday, pleaded guilty in a scheme to build a mansion while evading payment of $320,000 in taxes.

 

The owners of a construction company in Billings Tuesday, pleaded guilty in a scheme to build a mansion while evading payment of $320,000 in taxes. 

The owners of Kisling Quality Builders admitted income tax fraud in building a Billings mansion, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Montana.  

James Kisling and Timilynn Kisling each pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion and face a maximum five years in prison, $100,000 fine, cost of prosecution and three years of supervised release. 

According to the press release, former Signal Peak Energy vice president of surface activities Larry Wayne Price hired Kisling Quality Builders to build his home in 2014 at cost plus 9 percent.

The release says the arrangement included the building of a personal house for the Kislings among what appeared to be costs of Price’s mansion. U.S. prosecutors  say the Kislings committed the fraud with Price’s “cooperation and knowledge.”

The U.S. Attorney's office says Price’s Billings mansion is among properties to be forfeited at sentencing as part of an agreement with the government.

According to the release, the Kislings hid more than $800,000 in profits overall. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. The Kislings’ lawyer declined to give comment.

Kayla writes about energy policy, the oil and gas industry and new electricity developments.