MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A preliminary hearing will be held May 25 for a man accused of stealing winning lottery tickets from this employer and not reporting the income on his tax returns.
Matthew Buchholz, 41, is charged with one felony count of theft and three counts of filing a false or fraudulent state income tax return for tax years 2017 through 2019 and one felony count of theft-false representation.
Buchholz made an initial appearance in Manitowoc County court Monday, where a $1,000 signature bond was set.
According to the criminal complaint, Buchholz stole lottery tickets worth between $10,000 and $100,000 from his place of employment and defrauded the Wisconsin Lottery. Buchholz then collected the winnings from the stolen tickets and failed to report any of this income on his income tax returns.
The complaint alleges that Buchholz filed tax returns and understated income by more than $300,500, evading over $20,000 in Wisconsin income tax.
If convicted on all counts, Buchholz faces a maximum penalty of up to 31 years and six months in prison and/or $65,000 in fines.
