CMC Officers Indicted for $300 Million Tax Evasion The US Attorneys Office in San Diego have issued an indictment charging Sterling Wayne Pirtle, Ronald Allen Fisher, Mark Edward Fisher and Kelly Michelle Fisher-Buh, officers of Commercial Money Center (CMC) with income tax evasion, arising from their receipt of unreported and untaxed income from the sale of over $300 million in funded sub-prime leases to financial institutions. (Note: not named was Bill Hanson, former vice-president and "sales manager." November 11, 2005 William Conrad Hanson filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Kansas (Wichita.) The former officer of the Commercial Money Center, and Hanson and Associates, who investors are looking for, claimed less than $50,000 in “unsecured creditors” and assets of minus $197,500. On the form, Mr. Conrad estimated number of creditors to be from 16-49.) Press Release: Office of the United States Attorney, Southern District of California, San Diego, United States Attorney Carol C. Lam, press release: ### Press Release ############################# United States Attorney Carol C. Lam announced that a federal grand jury sitting in San Diego handed up a twelve-count indictment charging Sterling Wayne Pirtle. Ronald Allen Fisher. Mark Edward Fisher and Kelly Michelle Fisher-Buh with income tax evasion, arising from their receipt of unreported and untaxed income from their operation of a now-bankrupt corporation called Commercial Money Center. Inc. ("CMC"). The indictment alleges that Pirtle, a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Ronald Fisher, formerly of Escondido, California, founded Commercial Money Center in 1997, with Pirtle serving as the president of CMC, Ronald Fisher as the secretary and treasurer, and Mark Fisher as the chief operating officer. Mark Fisher is the son of Ronald Fisher, and Kelly Fisher-Buh is Ronald Fisher's daughter. Operating out of offices in Escondido, CMC obtained approximately $300 million of income from its sale of sub-prime leases to financial institutions before it declared bankruptcy in 2002. According to the indictment, the defendants used multiple shell corporations to receive substantial, untaxed income from their operation of CMC, and to hold assets and properly for their own use. The indictment also alleges that Pirtle and Kel1y Fisher evaded taxes by filing false individual income tax returns. while Ronald and Mark Fisher filed extensions with the IRS which provided false information about the amount of tax that was truly due and owing. United States Attorney Lam praised the efforts of agents of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service for their efforts leading to the indictment, noting: "It is essential to a basic sense of justice -- and vitally important to the integrity of the tax system --that everyone pay his or her fair share of taxes. This indictment is part of our ongoing effort to ensure that ordinary citizens are not made to pay the share of those who cheat." The indictment charges each of the defendants with three counts of income tax evasion for tax years 1999, 2000, and 200I. Each count carries a maximum statutory punishment of five years in custody and a maximum fine of$100,000. DEFENDANTS Sterling Wayne Pirtle SUMMARY OF CHARGES Title 26, United States Code, Section 7201 (Tax Evasion) AGENCIES Internal Revenue Service, Crimina1Investigation Division ### Press Release ############################
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