Description: Baton Rouge, Louisiana criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with tax evasion.

After a seven-day trial before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson, the jury unanimously convicted Barrett of one count of tax evasion. Dr. Melissa Rose Barrett, age 49, of Baton Rouge, a physician, owned and operated an urgent care clinic known as Stat Care Clinics, L.L.C. d/b/a Central Stat Care. As the evidence at trial demonstrated, for tax years 2007 through 2017, Barrett owed significant taxes totaling approximately $1.6 million, excluding interest and penalties. The IRS notified Dr. Barrett that she owed taxes multiple times and through various means.

Dr. Barrett undertook various steps to evade the payment of her outstanding tax liability, including preparing and filing with the IRS a false form underreporting income and inaccurately detailing her assets. Barrett also accumulated and concealed cash in a safe instead of depositing it in the bank. Finally, Barrett purchased millions of dollars of real estate and personal property in the names of nominees, including, but not limited to, a personal residence, a boat, an airplane, and thousands of acres of farmland and hunting land. The property purchased in the names of nominees totaled over $6.7 million.

As a result of the conviction, Dr. Barrett now faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison as well as a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Unit and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Edward H. Warner and Elizabeth White, and Trial Attorney Wilson Stamm of the Department of Justice Tax Division.

Outcome: Defendant was found guilty by a jury.

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