(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
 
 

Lake Charles,  Louisiana . . .  United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced today that KENNETH W. DARNSTEADT, age 48, from Sulphur, Louisiana, pled guilty on April 22, 2002, before United States district Judge James T. Trimble, Jr., to a Bill of Information filed in March 2002 charging him with attempting to evade or defeat the payment of federal taxes.  Sentencing will take place on July 26, 2002.  At the time of investigation, DARNSTEADT was the Calcasieu Parish Tax Assessor.

Investigations conducted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) following an audit determined that in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998, DARNSTEADT filed false and fraudulent tax returns  in an attempt to avoid paying federal taxes.  DARNSTEADT claimed a taxable income of $55,348 for 1996 and a taxable income of $63,787 for 1997. Investigations revealed that his actual income was $179,513 and $231,967 for 1996 and 1997, respectively.

DARNSTEADT faces a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment, a $100,000 fine, and a term of supervised release of no more than 3 years.  Sentencing in federal court is governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.  Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.

For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W.  Washington at 337-262-6618 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.

This and other press releases issued by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana can be found at our website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/law.

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