Saturday, March 3, 2007

UPDATED: Dallas businessman pays $1.8 million to IRS, gets 2 years in jail for failing to file returns

By Pegasus News wire

Updated 12:20 p.m., March 5, 2007

John Hayden LaRue, Jr., a Dallas businessman, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 24 months in prison following his guilty plea in October to three counts of failing to file an income tax return, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. As part of his plea agreement with the government, LaRue paid restitution of $1,811,189 to the Internal Revenue Service prior to today’s sentencing. Judge Fitzwater ordered that LaRue surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on April 20, 2007.

LaRue is the owner of Medical Contracting Services, Inc., (MCS) in Dallas. He admitted in court documents that he knew of the requirement to file a federal income tax return and that he voluntarily and intentionally failed to do so. He admitted that he knew MCS was not exempt from tax and that he knew he was therefore required by law to file a tax return for MCS for calendar years 1999, 2000 and 2001, stating specifically the items of MCS’s gross income and the deductions and credits allowed by law.

“Law-abiding taxpayers deserve the assurance that their competitors and neighbors are also filing their tax returns and paying what the law requires," said Erick Martinez, special agent-in-charge for IRS criminal investigation in Dallas. "So, rest assured that in Mr. Larue's case, he will pay two-fold: He paid over $1,811,189 to the Internal Revenue Service and he will spend the next two years in a federal jail."

EDITOR'S UPDATE: While our original headline contained the phrase "tax evasion," the technical infraction was "failing to file." We've changed it for clarity's sake. The US Attorney's office has updated and modified the first paragraph of the release, changing the characterization of the infractions, and we have modified ours to match theirs. -MO

Source: U.S. attorney's office

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Comments

Blue Shoe Mike Verified

I don't know what Erick Martinez is talking about. There is no law that says you have to pay Income Tax.

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2 years, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Mike Orren Staff

We have received a call and an email from Cass Weiland, an attorney at Patton Boggs representing La Rue. He says this story is false, and that his client was only guilty of a misdemeanor.

We picked up this release verbatim from the US Attorney's office here: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/PressRe...

We have called the US Attorney's office and as soon as they get back to us, we will update.

In the meantime, if anyone has any information contradictory of the US Attorney's office release, they can post it in the comments below or send it to me and we will post it.

2 years, 8 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )