A federal grand jury indicted a Swiss lawyer, saying he conspired to defraud the United States.
Felix Mathis helped Dr. Andrew Silva of Sterling, Va., hide a Swiss bank account in a tax-fraud scheme, according an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
The pair used a sham Liechtenstein trust to conceal money, and Mathis advised Silva to mail funds back to the United States in amounts of less than $10,000 in order to avoid declaring the money to U.S. authorities, the indictment said.
The indictment also alleges that Mathis also told Silva he should not wire transfer funds from the undeclared Swiss bank accounts because the transfers would create a paper trail for U.S. authorities.
If Mathis is convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison and a $1.25-million fine.
Silva pleaded guilty in February to conspiring to defraud the United States.
