New Jersey Orthopedic Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Failing to Pay Over $1.5 Million in Payroll Taxes
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 10 that Brian Mehling, 61, of Hackensack, New Jersey, an orthopedic surgeon, pleaded guilty to one count of failing to collect, account for, and pay over payroll taxes. According to court documents and statements made in court, Mehling failed to pay over the full amount of taxes withheld from employees' paychecks to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for one quarter in 2014, three quarters in 2015, three quarters in 2016, two quarters in 2017, and one quarter in 2018, causing a loss of more than $1.5 million.
Mehling formed Mehling Office Management LLC in order to pay himself and other employees of his medical practice. To collect the company's payroll taxes, the IRS initiated a collections action, and an IRS revenue officer interviewed Mehling in October 2016. In that interview, Mehling admitted that he was the responsible person for accounting for and paying over payroll taxes at the company, that he had failed to remit taxes for prior quarters, and that he had paid other expenses instead, including mortgages on his properties.
As part of his plea agreement, Mehling agreed to pay restitution of $1,526,281 to the IRS. The count to which he pleaded guilty carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2027.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division and U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer for the District of New Jersey made the announcement. IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case. Trial Attorney Likhitha Butchireddygari of the National Fraud Enforcement Division's Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Jacobs for the District of New Jersey are prosecuting the case. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼（四级图库联邦核心包固定图）。 / Image: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters (fixed image from the federal core asset pack).
