Year in prison for west Mich. roofer who evaded taxes

Greenville– A western Michigan roofer who evaded taxes on more than $6 million in unreported income has been sentenced to a year in federal prison.

John Snyder of Greenville apparently put down a lot of shingles, but he kept the government in the dark about his true finances. He paid $414,000 in back taxes before he was sentenced Thursday in Grand Rapids federal court. He’ll still owe significant interest and penalties.

Manny Muriel of the Internal Revenue Service calls it a “classic example of greed.”

Defense attorney Mark Pendery asked the judge to put the 72-year-old Snyder on house arrest and an electronic tether. But federal Judge Gordon Quist sent him to prison. With good behavior, Snyder will be free in less than a year.

Pendery says Snyder is “greatly embarrassed.”