Owner Of Credit Repair Business Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison For Tax Fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A federal judge handed down a sentence to the owner of a Twin Cities credit repair business with a history of fraud accusations.

Joe McGlynn Jr., 33, is sentenced to two and a half years in prison for failing to pay employment taxes. McGlynn pleaded guilty to the charges late last year.

According to court documents, McGlynn withheld taxes from employees' paychecks at his Burnsville business, but never handed that money over to the IRS.

Those charges match with accusations uncovered in a 2015 WCCO investigation into McGlynn's business. Some employees said they weren't getting paid for their work, and customers said they didn't get what they paid for. After the story aired, investigators raided the business's office.

Apparently undeterred, McGlynn later reopened the business with a new name in the very same building, and opened another office in downtown Minneapolis, struggling to pay bills once again.

Prosecutors now say McGlynn used money from his business to fund a "lavish lifestyle," including luxury vacations, rentals of luxury vehicles, visits to strip clubs, high-end jewelry, handbags and even a boat.

In total, federal prosecutors say McGlynn failed to pay more than $159,000 in taxes.