Man failed to disclose proceeds of home sale

ST. TERESA -- A Tallahassee Realtor was sentenced to 27 months in prison for tax evasion and making false statements about his income, including the sale of his home in Franklin County, according to federal prosecutors.

In addition to his prison sentence, William “Geri” Eaton, 60, was ordered to pay $99,126 in restitution to the IRS and to Sacred Heart Health System for medical bills.

Between 2004 and 2008, Eaton earned more than $1.18 million in taxable income. He failed to file his federal income tax returns as they became due and instead, in the fall of 2009, Eaton filed late returns for all four prior tax years. His total tax due, not counting interest and penalties, was more than $472,000.

In 2011, Eaton sold his beach house in St. Teresa for more than $1.3 million and concealed the money from the IRS. Later, he applied at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola for financial assistance in paying a medical bill. In his application for assistance, Eaton falsely claimed that he had a single checking account with a balance of only $1,588, when, in fact, the balances in his accounts totaled well over $600,000. Relying on Eaton’s false statements, Sacred Heart Hospital wrote off $79,622 in charges for Eaton’s care.

In November 2011, the IRS levied Eaton’s credit union accounts and obtained $610,000 as payments toward his tax liabilities.

In November 2013, Eaton pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and making false statements in a matter involving a health care benefit program.