Georgia Tech professor pleads guilty to tax fraud, Justice Department says

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced a Georgia Tech professor had pled guilty to tax fraud.

John Crittenden, 73, a professor of environmental engineering at Georgia Tech committed tax fraud by overstating his charitable deductions and lying on his tax returns.

According to public records from the State of Georgia, Crittenden’s salary in 2022 was $368,927.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Crittenden would have to pay all taxes owed from 2011 to 2021, and cooperate with federal officials to determine the total taxes, penalties, and interest that he owes the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

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According to officials, Crittenden lied about the charitable deductions in a fraud scheme involving Chinese nationals. USAO Ryan Buchanan said as a result of his actions, Crittenden will have to pay back the taxes owed and lose his job at the university.

Describing how Crittenden acted to commit the crimes he’s accused of, DOJ said “Crittenden partnered with a Chinese national, Duo Li, to operate several companies in China, including Beijing Keruiduo Environmental, Beijing Crittenden Environmental Technology Company, and Kunshan Techfirst.”

The companies, and people associated with them, wired hundreds of thousands of dollars either directly to the Georgia Institute of Technology Foundation, or to Crittenden’s personal bank account with Bank of America.

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He would then donate the funds in his account to GTF.

After the money reached the foundation, “Crittenden improperly and falsely claimed the transfers to GTF as charitable deductions on his tax returns without recognizing any of the transfers as income,” according to DOJ.

Additional money transfers came to Crittenden from Chinese nationals who participated in post-doctoral research at Georgia Tech, or had family members who were in the programs. Then, DOJ said Crittenden “‘donated’ these funds to GTF and improperly and falsely took a charitable deduction on his tax returns, while not recognizing any of the funds as income.”

Neither GTF, nor Georgia Tech, knew that Crittenden was acting this way and using the foundation and his position to do so, according to DOJ.

As part of Crittenden’s plea agreement with federal officials, he’ll be required to resign from all positions of employment at Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Research Center, plus pay all of the taxes he owed for 2011 to 201, in addition to cooperating with the IRS’s Examination Division to make a complete and accurate determination of what he owes from taxes, penalties, and interest.

“No matter the scheme or amount, do not falsify your tax returns,” IRS Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman said.  “We have an incredible team of talented, intelligent agents trained to investigate these tax fraud schemes.  Crittenden not only has to make amends by paying his owed taxes, but he also faces jail time, fines, and penalties for his decisions.  This guilty plea is evidence that fraud does not pay.”

Crittenden pled guilty to making false statements on a tax return, violating Title 26, United States Code, Section 7206(1).

He’ll be back in court on Jan. 16, 2024 for sentencing.

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