The owner of a Bethel Park land and mineral acquisition company who said he’s thought of killing himself over his federal tax case avoided prison Wednesday but will have to pay $548,412 to the IRS.
U.S. District Judge Robert Colville gave Thomas Wingard five years of probation and that restitution order for failure to file corporate tax returns for his company, Deep Rock Mineral Group.
Wingard, 39, pleaded guilty in August to one count of willful failure to pay for 2017. He also didn’t file for 2016 but only pleaded in regard to 2017.
The U.S. attorney’s office did not ask for a specific sentence but noted the guideline range called for a term between 18 and 24 months.
Wingard and his lawyer, David Berardinelli, wanted probation.
The restitution amount reflects corporate tax losses of $92,840 for 2016 and $455,572 for 2017.
In a letter to the judge, Wingard apologized for what he’d done and said he’d let down everyone in his life. He said that since his case developed, he’s woken up in panic attacks, gained 80 pounds and considered suicide.
“I have no one to blame but myself,” he wrote.
He said he’d like the chance to continue his new work of managing two pizza shops and repair all the damage he’s done to his relationships and gain back the trust he’s lost from family and friends.
“I never want to have my family stress over me again, come home to federal agents, have my colleagues questioned because of my actions, ask my friends to write letters about my character, or hurt anyone,” he wrote.
Torsten covers the courts for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Reach him at jtorsteno@gmail.com.
