Wash. woman gets 15 months for tax evasion, must pay $2.5M in restitution

Wash. woman gets 15 months for tax evasion

SEATTLE — As the secretary and treasurer of Falcon Construction, Michelle Bielaski was supposed to turn over to the IRS taxes withheld from employee paychecks.

Instead, the 48-year-old Bellevue, Wash., woman spent the money herself — $2.5 million of it.

Now she’s been sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay the taxes back in restitution.

U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez issued the sentence Friday in Seattle. He said it was a sad day for her family, but noted that she used the money to pay for her expensive lifestyle.