SCRANTON, Pa. — A Pennsylvania roofing contractor is pleading guilty to failing to collect and pay federal payroll taxes amounting to nearly $186,000.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Charles R. Ehrenberg, 34, owner of Ehrenberg Roofing and Construction, Inc., located in Hazleton, Pa., pleaded guilty on Feb. 17 before U.S. District Court Judge Malachy E. Mannion, to failing to collect and pay over several years’ worth of required federal payroll taxes.

U.S. Attorney John C. Gurganus states the criminal information to which Ehrenberg pleaded guilty alleges that Ehrenberg was responsible as owner of Ehrenberg Roofing and Construction Inc., for collecting and paying over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) federal payroll taxes, including Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) taxes. According to a press release, he willfully failed to pay these required taxes for the period from 2017 through 2020, in the total amount of $185,681.90.

These charges stem from an investigation by IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffery St John is prosecuting the case.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is five years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.