(WLUK) -- A Portage County man has been been charged with filing false tax returns in Brown County.

Elton James Schenk, 46, of Custer, faces up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine, or both, if convicted.

According to the criminal complaint, Schenk filed fraudulent Wisconsin income tax returns for tax years 2014, 2015 and 2016. The complaint also says that Schenk reported net losses from non-existent businesses to offset taxable income. The tax loss to the state of Wisconsin for 2014, 2015 and 2016 was $6,884.

These charges are the result of an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue Office of Criminal Investigation.