PORTLAND, Ore. (Jun. 9, 2026) — A Jacksonville man with ownership interests in multiple logging and construction businesses in Southern Oregon has pleaded guilty to a series of federal charges involving tax evasion, employment tax violations, bank fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Joel Matthew Caswell, 31, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to three counts of tax evasion, three counts of willful failure to pay over employment taxes, one count of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
Prosecutors said Caswell owned and managed several logging and construction companies that collectively employed about 40 workers. He also served as trustee and beneficiary of the Caswell Family Trust.
Court documents state that between 2018 and 2022, Caswell withheld payroll taxes from employees’ wages but failed to remit those funds to the Internal Revenue Service. The unpaid taxes led the IRS in 2019 to assess a Trust Fund Recovery Penalty against him.
Authorities alleged Caswell took steps to prevent the IRS from collecting the money owed by directing customers to issue payments to other businesses or to him personally, moving company funds between accounts and providing false information to IRS collection officers.
Federal prosecutors said Caswell separately engaged in multiple fraud schemes between 2022 and 2024. According to court records, he submitted fabricated financial documents to a bank, a private lender and the Small Business Administration in an effort to secure loans.
In addition, Caswell admitted to using another person’s name, Social Security number and date of birth to obtain a residential mortgage, prosecutors said. Court documents identified the individual only as “Adult Victim 1.”
As part of his plea agreement, Caswell agreed to pay $1,198,799.83 in restitution to the IRS.
He faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, a $1 million fine and five years of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9, 2026, before a U.S. district court judge.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Land Management.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John C. Brassell of the District of Oregon and Trial Attorney J. Parker Gochenour of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division Tax Section are prosecuting the case.
The announcement comes as the Department of Justice expands its efforts to combat fraud involving taxpayer funds. The department announced the creation of its National Fraud Enforcement Division in April, describing its mission as investigating and prosecuting those who steal or misuse taxpayer dollars.
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