Brighton man receives 20 months in fraud case

A Brighton man has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for failure to file tax returns and for fraud relating to Social Security disability payments.

Robert Eugene Hybertson, 61, agreed to pay the Social Security Administration $146,484 restitution, to file accurate tax statements for all years applicable and pay taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service, according to news release from the U.S. attorney’s Colorado office.

Hybertson received a gross income of $887,000 in 2012 but willfully failed to file the required income tax statements for that year, according to the stipulated facts in a plea agreement.

Hybertson also failed to file income tax statements for 2010, 2011 and 2013, when he had approximate gross incomes of $241,000, $566,000 and $117,000, respectively.

The estimated tax loss for the years is $828,000, or $1.7 million if penalties and interest are included, according to the Friday release.

In May 2001, Hybertson began receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits, the release said. In 2010, Hybertson concealed from Social Security that he was receiving income — violating an agreement to disclose income — and he made false statements about working, according to the release. Hybertson fraudulently received $146,484 of disability benefits.

“The defendant avoided paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and at the same time lied to get money he did not deserve from Social Security,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.

The sentencing hearing was before U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson. The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Social Security Office of the Inspector General.