PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A Ponte Vedra man has been sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion. He will have to pay $1,927,077.90 to the IRS.
Patrick Brian Hines pleaded guilty to the crimes on Nov. 2, 2022.
According to court documents, Hines avoided paying taxes on companies that he owned since 2011.
He used $2.5 million from a business account on personal expenses from 2012 to 2018, spending $38,000 on personal training sessions and $275,000 in mortgage payments. He also paid for his children's private school tuition and memberships to private clubs.
The IRS notified Hines of his unpaid taxes in November 2011, but he claimed to be "broke" and living only off proceeds from a house sale. He also claimed in 2016 that he had no income.
He also owed $9.8 million plus interest to the California Public Utilities Commission in 2016, according to court documents.
