Former Hazelwood Ford Assembly Plant Manager Convicted of Tax Evasion

A former Ford assembly plant manager is convicted of four felony tax evasion charges for failing to report kickback payments on his federal income taxes, the United States Attorney's Office said Tuesday.

Hazelwood Patch previously reported on 55-year-old John Perry, a former Lake Saint Louis resident, . Now of Vermillion, Ohio, Perry was convicted of four felony counts of tax evasion after a six day trial.

Perry was materials, planning and logistics and was responsible for approving invoices from Ford vendors for expenses related to vehicle transportation and storage. Federal prosecutors said Perry approved false and inflated invoices a vendor submitted to Ford from 2001 to 2004.

When Ford paid the invoices, the owner of the vendor company paid Perry a kickback, according to the United States Attorney's Office. Perry also received kickbacks from an inflated lease scheme.

Perry failed to report a large portion of these payments on his federal income tax returns, to the sum of $2 million, causing a tax loss of more than $600,000.

Each of the counts against Perry carry a maximum penalty, so he could face up to five years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000 when sentencing occurs on May 31.