A former assistant golf pro at two city-owned Massachusetts golf courses is facing up to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to six criminal counts of tax fraud on Friday.
Ryan McDowell, 32, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court. The pro, who used to run women’s golf clinics at Veterans Golf Course and Franconia Golf Course, both located in and operated by the city of Springfield, Mass., was found to have made $180,000 in unreported income over a six-year period, according to MassLive.com.
Court records show that McDowell admitted failing to report $21,360 for tax year 2011, plus $37,314; $28,041; $46,350; $36,324; and $11,550 in each of the subsequent tax years.
#IRS agents raid Franconia Golf Course pro shop and two other locations on Thursday am. @masslivenews #SpringfieldMA pic.twitter.com/5KI62qN91H
— dave roback (@d_roback) July 28, 2016
The plea comes two years after IRS officials raided both pro shops of the Massachusetts golf courses as well as the homes of head pro Kevin Kennedy Jr., the president of Kennedy Golf Management, which operated both area courses.
Kennedy Jr., who was believed to be the prime suspect at the time, has always denied his involvement in skimming money from the courses.
“Mr. Kennedy is being scapegoated by the City for its own poorly written contract, and its failure to properly manage the businesses to which it had contracted out to private entities such as Kennedy Golf Management,” Kennedy’s attorney, David P. Hoose, said following the raid in 2016.
The plea was the first time McDowell’s name was made public in connection to the ongoing investigation. He is set to be sentenced on Dec. 6.
