Massachusetts construction company owner lied about deadly workplace accident, tax fraud scheme

BOSTON (WWLP) – The owner of a Medford-based construction business pleaded guilty to a tax fraud scheme and making false statements about a deadly workplace accident.

According to the Department of Justice in Boston, 57-year-old Mauricio Baiense formally of Quincy, owned and operated Contract Framing Builders, Inc. (CFB). He was responsible for filing employment tax returns and collecting and paying IRS payroll taxes withheld from the wages of the company’s employees.

From 2013 through 2017, Baiense paid employees of CFB “off-the-books”. The cash wages were not reported to the IRS and he did not pay employment taxes on wages paid to employees in cash. The Department of Justice also says that he assisted in preparing at least one fraudulent employment tax return that understated the actual wages paid to CFB’s employees. The tax fraud scheme resulted in a tax loss of approximately $2,824,577.

When questioned by a federal investigator under oath regarding a deadly workplace accident, Baiense falsely claimed that the employee did not work for him.

Baiense pleaded guilty last week to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, seven counts of failure to collect and pay over taxes, one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return, and one count of making false statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 19th.

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