Department of Justice
United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum
Southern District of Iowa

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, August 25, 2020
http://www.justice.gov/usao/ias

CONTACT: Rachel J. Scherle
515-473-9300
Rachel.Scherle@usdoj.gov

Ames Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Fraud
Des Moines, Iowa – On August 25, 2020, Scott Donald Griffen, age 57, of Ames, was
sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge Robert W. Pratt to four months in prison
for the willful failure to account for and pay over employment taxes, announced United States
Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Griffen was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $150,297.52,
with interest.
On November 15, 2019, the United States Attorney’s Office filed a one-count Information
that charged Griffen with failure to account for and pay over employment taxes. Griffen pleaded
guilty to the offense and admitted he failed to pay employment taxes related to his two Ames
businesses, Corner Pocket and DG’s Tap House. Griffen admitted between 2012 and 2016 he
failed to pay the IRS more than $150,000 in employment taxes.
“If you don’t pay your taxes, you can go to federal prison. It’s that simple,” said United
States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. “Scott Griffen failed to pay employment taxes for four years,
and he continued even after he was warned by the IRS. He deserves the prison term imposed
today.”
“While operating his business from 2012 to 2016, Mr. Griffen willfully failed to pay over
to the IRS any of the employment taxes he had withheld from his employee’s wages; he took them
for his own purposes,” said Adam Steiner, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal
Investigation Division in the St. Louis Field Office. “IRS CI will continue to use its

1

 financial expertise to investigate those individuals who knowingly and willfully evade their tax
obligation.”
This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and
prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
#####

2