GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Ludington man has pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing from Lake Michigan Carferry, owner of the S.S. Badger, and failing to pay federal income taxes.
Paul Patrick Piper, 58, was the financial controller for Lake Michigan Carferry for many years. He pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids to defrauding the company and some financial institutions to the tune of between $550,000 and $3.5 million. The United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Michigan, which handled the case, did not release the specific amount of money Piper was accused of stealing.
Piper was also accused and pled guilty to a charge that he failed to pay past-due federal income taxes of $363,926.00. In his plea, he agreed to pay that amount in past-due taxes, plus penalties and interest. The unpaid tax amount was based on the amount of money he stole from his employer and others and failed to report as income.
Piper’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 11, 2020.
