CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man who owned businesses in Hickory has admitted in federal court not only to tax fraud but also using customers' credit card information to make fraudulent charges.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina announced that 51-year-old James Christopher Robinson, who lives in nearby Granite Falls, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to the charges of access device fraud and failure to truthfully account for and pay over trust fund taxes for his actions over about three years. Sentencing hasn't been scheduled yet, but the total maximum prison term he faces is 20 years.
Federal prosecutors say Robinson owned a group of four cabinet manufacturing and retail businesses in the Hickory area. He admitted that from March 2020 up until April 2023, he accessed customers' credit cards and made nearly 300 fraudulent charges, totaling about $1 million. He also created at least four counterfeit checks totaling more than $93,000 by using information from actual customer checks.
Robinson also admitted in his plea that from 2017 until 2022, he caused two of his companies to fail to comply with employment tax obligations. Specifically, Robinson didn't account for and pay more than $3.1 million in employment taxes. Prosecutors also note he used the stolen funds to make large cash withdrawals from his business accounts and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at casinos.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Secret Service, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS.
Note: WCNC instituted a policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
Federal mugshots are not typically shared with the public.