Feds: Two area women accused of tax evasion in theft scheme

A federal grand jury this week indicted two Southwestern Pennsylvania women on two counts each of tax evasion in connection with a theft scheme at a Connellsville glass recycling company.

Tammy Lee Keefer, 45, also is known as Tammy Coffman, of Latrobe was indicted in connection with the theft of checks from CAP Glass in Connellsville, according to U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady. Keefer has also lived in Acme, according to court documents.

Keefer is serving a 6- to 17-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in Fayette County last year to multiple charges of burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy in connection with the theft of $974,134 from the glass recycling company, according to on-line dockets.

Also indicted for tax evasion Thursday was Lisa Cavanaugh, 51, of Dunbar Township, Fayette County. Cavanaugh, a former accountant with CAP, was also prosecuted in Fayette with Keefer last year.

Cavanaugh was sentenced to serve up to 23 months on house arrest after pleading guilty to a single burglary charge in connection with the theft, according to court dockets.

She has also paid more than $41,000 in restititution to date, according to online dockets.

According to the indictments, Keefer evaded income taxes for 2012 and 2013. The grand jury alleges her income in 2012 was $235,859 and $80,022 in 2013.

Brady reported that Keefer took check withdrawals from a company account and made transactions at various financial institutions in a manner that did not readily identify the money as income to Keefer.

“Keefer also negotiated CAP Glass checks in such a manner as to cause a split deposit, where part of the amount of the check went into a bank account known as Coffman Transport, and part of the amount of the check was returned to Keefer as cash with no record as to its disposition, thus concealing Keefer’s true income,” Brady said.

Brady reported in a news release that between 2012 through 2013, Cavanaugh also evaded her income taxes by filing false and fraudulent tax returns both years.

Federal law provides for a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or both, if convicted.

The Internal Revenue Service conducted the investigation.