Tewksbury Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

TEWKSBURY, MA — A Tewksbury real estate developer pleaded guilty to tax evasion Thursday, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Arnold Martel, 61, was charged with defrauding the government of more than $480,000 through a multi-year tax evasion scheme. According to prosecutors, from 2014 to 2017 he personally accepted more than $1.2 million payments for work on condos his company sold.

Martel deposited the checks in his personal accounts or cashed them, but did not report the income on his tax returns, prosecutors said.

Martel pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

For the tax evasion charge, Martel could be sentenced to up to five years in prison as well as a fine of at least $250,000. He is also required to pay restitution to the IRS.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.