Mississippi doctor guilty of tax evasion to the tune of nearly $1 million in tax debt; sentencing set for June

Published 4:13 pm Friday, March 4, 2022

A federal jury has convicted a Mississippi doctor of tax evasion, prosecutors said Friday.

In a trial before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, jurors on Wednesday found Dr. Kevin L. Crandell, of Golden, guilty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi said in a news release.

Crandell was an emergency room physician making between $30,000 and $40,000 a month who stopped paying personal income taxes in 2007. But from 2006 through 2012, he accrued about $972,493 in tax debt, including penalties and interest, authorities said.

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During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that in 2014 Crandell submitted a false form to the IRS in an attempt to negotiate a payment plan for his outstanding tax liabilities. The form misrepresented that Crandell couldn’t make tax payments because his personal income was lower than his expenses. It also failed to list assets and business bank accounts which Crandell was using for personal expenses.

Though Crandell attempted to blame a tax resolution service he hired in 2010, evidence showed that Crandell intentionally manipulated his pay stubs to show a decrease in his 2014 annual income before submitting them to the tax service.

Sentencing is set for June 7. He faces up to five years in prison, supervised release, restitution and a fine.

“Millions of Americans pay their income taxes every year,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “Those who intentionally attempt to mislead the IRS and fail to pay income taxes that they legitimately owe will face the consequences.”