COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Vice President of Porter Drywall and Black Star Drywall, Inc. was sentenced in U.S. District Court to five years of probation and ordered to pay more than $25,000 in restitution to the IRS for filing a false income tax return.

As a condition of his probation, Robert E. Porter, 53, of Westerville, Ohio, must ensure that Porter Drywall subscribes to proper governmental forms and otherwise complies with all tax, labor and immigration laws with respect to its employees.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, James Vanderberg, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, Brad Geary, Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General, and Steve Francis, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, announced the sentence handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Michael. H. Watson.

According to court documents, Porter was Vice President of the companies between 2009 and 2013. Porter Drywall contracted to provide drywall installation and drywall supplies to residential and commercial contractors in Central Ohio. As well as being Vice President, Porter was a jobsite supervisor and estimator for Porter Drywall’s private and corporate clients.

Acting on behalf of Porter Drywall, Porter provided estimates for certain projects and assigned Porter Drywall’s employees and/or subcontractors to complete the work. He diverted numerous customer payments to his personal bank account while Porter Drywall incurred all of the costs for the projects – including labor and materials...