Louisiana Business Owner Convicted of Tax Crimes After Failing to Send Employees’ Taxes to IRS

Louisiana – On October 28, 2022, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Joey J. Stevenson, age 40, from New Orleans, Louisiana pled guilty on October 25, 2022, for failing to pay the IRS employment taxes for his business, Community Care Solutions, Inc.

Stevenson was charged with violating 26 U.S.C. 7202 by failing to pay overdue employment taxes to the IRS. According to court records, Stevenson owned and ran Community Care Solutions, Inc., and between 2015 and 2019, he withheld more than $500,000 in Medicare, Social Security, and income taxes from his employees' paychecks, but he did not pay that money to the IRS. Stevenson also failed to pay an additional $254,181.21 in Medicare and Social Security taxes. In sum, Stevenson failed to pay $796,077.41 in IRS taxes owed by Community Care employees. Stevenson agreed to reimburse the IRS that sum as restitution.

Stevenson may spend up to five years in prison. Stevenson also faces up to three years of supervised release upon his release from prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or double the gross gain or loss to any victims, and a statutory $100 special assessment fee per count. Sentencing has been set for February 15, 2023, by the Honorable Ivan L.R. Lemelle.

IRS Criminal Investigations was lauded by U.S. Attorney Evans. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses.