EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — An El Paso man was sentenced in a federal court in El Paso on Monday, April 21 to 18 months in prison for failure to account for and pay trust fund taxes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
According to court documents, Edward Dean La Puma, 58, was the founder and sole proprietor of 77 Stone, a granite countertop business, who willfully failed to account for and pay trust fund taxes for 20 tax periods, from the first quarter of 2018 through the last quarter of 2022. His 20 violations resulted in a tax loss of $818,096, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
La Puma was indicted for 20 counts April 24, 2024 and arrested May 21, 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count on Nov. 21, 2024. As part of a plea agreement, La Puma agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of more than $380,000, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Micaela Glass prosecuted the case.
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