Paul Kenneth Cromar, a Utah-based film producer, was sentenced to six years in prison last week after being convicted of tax evasion and forcibly retaking his Cedar Hills home, which had been seized and sold at auction.
Cromar, who operated Blue Moon Productions and worked on various media projects, including those for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, owed over $703,000 in taxes from 1999 through 2005. Despite the IRS audit and subsequent judgment, he failed to make any payments, allowing his debt to grow to over $1 million.
In 2019, after a federal judge ordered the sale of Cromar’s home, he attempted to prevent the sale by filing false documents and intimidating buyers. He also filed multiple lawsuits against IRS employees.
After the auction, Cromar broke into the property and fortified it, allegedly with the help of an armed militia, and refused to leave for five months.
Cromar was convicted of burglary and wrongful appropriation in 2023, and in June, a federal jury found him guilty of tax evasion and forcibly retaking property.
In addition to his prison sentence, Cromar was ordered to pay restitution of approximately $723,028 as part of his three years of supervised release following his sentence.