Stephen John Kopel, a Minnesota man and owner of S&P Foods, Inc.-which operated a McDonald's restaurant in Rosemount-was sentenced in federal court in Minneapolis on Tuesday for not paying $627,437 in employment taxes.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota announced Tuesday that Kopel received three years of probation, including confinement to a correctional facility for the first six months and subject to home confinement for the second six months.

Kopel, who was charged in February 2010, pleaded guilty in March to one count of willful failure to account for and pay taxes. Kopel served as president and CEO of S&P Foods, which he owned with his wife.

According to the Attorney's Office, Kopel deducted employment taxes from the wages of his employees, but between 2003 and 2006 he didn't pay the taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“The failure to pay over withheld taxes is a serious offense,” Kelly Jackson, special agent in charge of the IRS' criminal investigation division's St. Paul office, said in a news release.”IRS' criminal investigation [division] intends to vigorously pursue anyone who collects taxes from their employees and fails to remit those taxes.”