Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. -- A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today.  You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

TWO KRONENWETTER RESIDENTS
CHARGED WITH TAX CRIMES

Scott A. Swid, 43, and Jodi L. Swid, 44, both of Kronenwetter, Wis., are charged with conspiring to defraud the United States by defrauding the Internal Revenue Service.  The Swids, who are husband and wife, are also charged with filing false income tax returns for the calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
 
The indictment alleges that Scott Swid was a licensed attorney practicing in Wisconsin, and that his law firm, Swid Law Offices, LLC, had offices in Mosinee and Stratford, Wis.  According to the indictment, Jodi Swid worked as the firm’s bookkeeper.  The indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in a skim of the firm’s business receipts by depositing a portion of client checks and attorney referral payments into two different accounts.  The indictment also alleges that the defendants bypassed regular firm bookkeeping procedures to ensure that the skimmed business receipts were not recorded in the firm’s computer accounts. 
 
The indictment further alleges that Scott Swid sometimes accepted payment for legal services in barter, and failed to report such payment as income to the IRS.  Finally, the indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the Swids provided false and incomplete business records to their tax return preparer, and they filed income tax returns for the calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009 which underreported gross receipts by approximately $159,000.
 
If convicted, the Swids each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy count, and three years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count of filing a false income tax return.  The charges against them are the result of an investigation by IRS Criminal Investigation.  The prosecution of this case will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Graber and Kevin Burke.

WARRENS MAN CHARGED WITH GUN CRIMES

Lucas Stewart, 23, Warrens, Wis., is charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition and firearms.  The indictment alleges that on November 1, 2014, he possessed .380 caliber ammunition.  The indictment also alleges that on November 2, 2014, Stewart possessed eight firearms, including a Mosin Nagant rifle, a .223 caliber rifle, an AK-47 rifle, a .22 caliber rifle, a .303 caliber rifle, a .30 caliber rifle, a revolver and an SKS rifle.
 
If convicted, Stewart faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison on each count.  The charges against him are the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tomah Police Department, and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution of this case will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Duchemin.

MADISON MAN CHARGED WITH GUN CRIME

Dennis M. Franklin, 43, Madison, Wis., is charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.  The indictment alleges that on November 27, 2014, he possessed a .357 magnum revolver loaded with six rounds of ammunition.

If convicted, Franklin faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.  The charge against him is the result of an investigation by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The prosecution of this case will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Przybylinski Finn.
 

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