PLAINVIEW, Neb. -- A Plainview man was sentenced to probation for a false tax return conviction.

Acting U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr said 41-year-old Joseph Pearce II, of Plainview, was sentenced in federal court in Omaha on Sept. 20. He was convicted for filing a false tax return. Pearce will serve four years of probation and has to pay $200,411.33 in restitution.

According to court documents, Pearce owned and operated a painting and maintenance business between 2014 and 2018 in Nebraska and Texas. His tax returns for 2014 through 2018 reported profit from the painting and maintenance business.

Officials reported that Pearce signed each of the tax returns under penalties of perjury, stating that he looked over a copy of the tax returns and that they were true, correct, and complete. Pearce made the written declaration for each tax year knowing that the reported income in the tax returns for each tax year was not correct.

Authorities said the Internal Revenue Service found that for tax years 2014 through 2018, Pearce filed tax returns that reported far less income than had been actually paid to Pearce’s business. The IRS interviewed Pearce’s clients and reviewed his financial records. Pearce’s tax returns did not report $760,629 in income from between 2014 and 2018. Taxes owed to the IRS on the unreported income total $200,411.

This case was investigated by the IRS, Criminal Investigations.