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Date: Oct. 15, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Grand Rapids, MI – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan today announced an indictment of Traverse City resident Christopher Robin Roehler as part of a nationwide enforcement action led by the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, Internal Revenue Service, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation targeting tax fraud and related offenses. The Western District of Michigan was a key participant in this surge effort.
Between early September and today, federal prosecutors across the country facilitated fraud enforcement actions spanning 76 criminal defendants, including 31 newly charged defendants, reaching approximately $490 million in intended loss to American taxpayers.
U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “The Western District of Michigan joins the rest of the United States in fairly enforcing our tax laws. The tax offense charged against Roehler is especially galling because it involves taking money out of an employee’s pocket with the promise that the money will be turned over to the government as part of the employee’s tax obligation. Any employer who keeps that money for himself betrays that promise. We look forward to proving these charges in court.”
According to the indictment returned by a grand jury in the Western District of Michigan, Christopher Robin Roehler of Traverse City was the owner and manager of Rolling Farms Café and was responsible for collecting, accounting for, and paying over to the Internal Revenue Service employment taxes. The indictment further alleges that Roehler willfully failed to truthfully account for and pay over a total of $47,679 in taxes on 10 occasions between September 2020 and December 2022, that were due and owing to the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of the employees of the restaurant.
Failing to collect, account for, or pay over employment taxes is a felony offense. Roehler faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and the costs of prosecution on each of the ten counts in the indictment.
This press release details one way in which this office has contributed to ensuring that all Americans pay their fair share.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.