LV businessman indicted on tax evasion charges

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 | 8:51 a.m.

A Las Vegas man who owns several businesses has been indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy and tax evasion charges along with his girlfriend, his mother, a sister and a brother, U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden said Tuesday.

Robert David Kahre is charged in two separate criminal indictments, including 20 counts of willful failure to pay taxes, two counts of tax evasion and two counts of conspiracy to attempt to evade paying taxes.

Kahre was indicted with 24 other individuals, including girlfriend, Danielle Cline; his mother, Myra L. Buonomo; sister, Lori A. Kahre; and brother, John W. Kahre, along with employees of businesses from painting to drywall companies, according to court records. All individuals are from Las Vegas.

Kahre operates businesses in Las Vegas that include Production Air Conditioning, Production Plumbing, Sherman Tile and Marble and Wright Painting and Drywall, court records said. Kahre also provided payroll services for other local businesses.

The indictments allege that from 1998 through 2003 Kahre paid his employees and employees of other businesses with whom he contracted in gold, silver or cash from an office at 6270 Kimberly Ave.

No federal taxes were withheld from the paychecks and wages were not reported to the IRS, records said.

The complaint alleges that Kahre paid over $114 million in unreported cash to employees, including $19.9 million in cash to his employees and about $94.8 million in cash to other contractor employees, the court records said.

The indictments also alleged that Kahre tried to evade income tax he owed for the years 1992 and 1993 in the amount of $1,000,453 and he attempted to conceal income from 1996 through 2005 by using straw buyers to purchase property in the names of his mother, girlfriend and stepfather.

According to court records, the properties included a site at 6049 Boulder Highway, a ranch at 62436 Mink Lane in Summerville, Ore., homes at 6385 and 6295 North Grand Canyon Drive and a home at 5680 Ruffian Road and property at in St. George, Utah.

The defendants have been summoned to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge on April 18 for an initial appearance and arraignment.

The case is being investigated by special agents with the IRS criminal division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Gregory Damm.