Michigan Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud

Steven Kern, of Marine City, Mich., was sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. On January 28, 2013, Kern pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with eight counts of filing false corporate tax returns and eight counts of failing to file his individual income tax returns. 

According to court documents, Kern operated the Kern Chiropractic Center in Marine City. From 2003 through 2010, Kern filed false corporate returns for Kern Chiropractic that did not include as gross receipts cash and check payments that Kern diverted from the business for his own personal use. During the same years, Kern failed to file individual tax returns, despite earning more $1.2 million in gross income during that time period. F iled court documents and court proceedings further established that Kern has not filed an individual federal income tax return since 2002 and told IRS – Criminal Investigation special agents he believed signing and filing a completed individual federal tax return was a violation of his constitutional rights.

Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division Kathryn Keneally commended the efforts of special agents of IRS – Criminal Investigation in investigating the case and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Mark McDonald and Jeff Bender for prosecuting the case.