Memphis Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Federal Prison for Obstructing the IRS

Memphis, TN – A Memphis man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for obstructing the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.

According to documents and information provided to the court, Cedric Zimbalist Chism was the former owner and operator of a security guard service, Memphis Security of Tennessee, Inc. ("MSOFT"). MSOFT had contracts for services with various businesses throughout the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis. Chism attempted to impede and evade payment and reporting of employment taxes to the IRS from 1999 to 2011. Chism, personally and as owner and operator of MSOFT, owed $1,688,473.45 with a tax loss to the IRS of $854,144.39.

On October 20, 2017, U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes, Jr., sentenced Chism to 18 months imprisonment and 1 year supervised release to begin after his incarceration.

The case was investigated by the United States Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Damon Keith Griffin prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.