Released April 4, 2008
A Sacramento woman pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft with an enhancement for a theft involving more than $150,000 and three counts of filing false state income tax returns, according to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB).
Jill L. Platt, 36, pleaded no contest to the charges in a plea agreement. According to court documents, Platt embezzled more than $150,000 from her former employer, a local engineering firm. Platt had access to the company’s credit card and used it from September 2004 to October 2006 for personal items such as food, beverages, and entertainment. Platt also failed to claim the credit card purchases as income on her 2004, 2005, and 2006 state income tax returns. All income is taxable including income from illegal sources.
Platt faces a maximum of five years in state prison if sentenced to the full term under the plea agreement. Restitution to her former employer and FTB will be ordered.
The underreporting of income is part of the $6.5 billion tax gap now facing California. The tax gap is defined as the difference between the tax that is due and the tax that is paid.
Platt’s sentencing and restitution determination are scheduled for May 30, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. in a department to be assigned. She was released on her own recognizance.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei accepted the plea yesterday in Department 21 of the Sacramento County Superior Court. Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Robert Clancy is prosecuting the case. This was a joint investigation between the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and FTB.