Agoura Owner Of 'Don't Touch My Money' Admits To Lying To IRS: DOJ

AGOURA HILLS, CA — An Agoura Hills-based real estate developer agreed to plead guilty to federal charges related to falsifying a bankruptcy petition and failing to report nearly $6.9 million in income on his tax returns, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

Mark Handel, 68, will forfeit over $3.5 million, which is equivalent to his proceeds on real estate sales in Alameda County with his guilty plea expected in the coming weeks. He will also pay the Internal Revenue Service over $1.45 million in"tax liabilities," according to the department.

Handel faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison, according to the department.

Handel's crimes date back to April 2015, when he filed a bankruptcy petition in Los Angeles that stated he had no income from 2013 to 2015, the department said in a news release. In reality, he earned over $2 million in income from his real estate development company saved under a company titled DTMM Construction Inc., which stands for "Don't Touch My Money," according to the department. Profits from the company were funneled to personal accounts to pay his and his family's expenses.

"Handel concealed his income from his creditors by depositing it into DTMM’s accounts. Among the assets Handel hid from creditors included his interest in real estate in Livermore, California," the department said.

In 2016, Handel filed a false federal income tax return for the previous year which excluded over $1 million in income, according to the department. Between 2010 and 2017, Handel similarly did not report nearly $7 million of income. Again in 2017 and 2018, he falsely reported his income to the government, the department said.