Manhattan Beach Lawyer Convicted Of Fraud, Tax Evasion

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — An attorney from Manhattan Beach was convicted Monday of defrauding his former employer out of more than $300,000 and concealing this income on his tax returns, the Department of Justice announced.

James Miller abused his check-signing authority as the president and managing partner of MWRC Internet Sales LLC in order to steal money from his employer on dozens of occasions, according to Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Alana W. Robinson for the Southern District of California.

Miller falsified the company's books and records to hide his embezzlement and filed false tax returns for 2009 through 2012 to avoid paying about $58,000 in federal income taxes, prosecutors said.

The federal jury convicted Miller of five counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing false tax returns. He was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge George Wu to return for sentencing on Aug. 7.

Miller is facing up to 23 years in prison and $500,000 in fines for the charges, according to the Justice Department.

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