Denver bridal shop owner sentenced to prison for $1.3M tax fraud scheme

Donna Savoy spent the money she withheld from her employees on personal and business expenses.

Published: June 16, 2026 5:22pm

A Colorado woman has been sentenced to a year and one day in prison after failing to pay the IRS more than $1.3 million in employment taxes for her bridal shop company.

Donna Savoy – owner of Denver-based bridal studio Donna Beth Creations – withheld taxes from her employees, but did not pay them to the IRS from the first quarter of 2014 through the fourth quarter of 2024, the Justice Department said Monday. She also didn’t file employment tax returns for those 10 years.

As the company’s owner, she was responsible for withholding income, Medicare and Social Security taxes from her employees’ wages, paying the funds to the IRS and filing quarterly employment tax returns with the IRS.

Savoy spent the withheld money on personal and business expenses – ultimately costing the United States a tax loss of more than $1.3 million.

She initially pleaded guilty in February to one count of willful failure to account for and pay over employment taxes. The IRS investigated the case.

Katherine Pugh is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on X for more coverage.