An Alabama chiropractor has been indicted on federal charges after authorities say he failed to pay more than $2 million in taxes he owned.
Gary Forrest Edwards, of Shelby County, owned Hoover Health & Wellness Center. He is charged with tax evasion, filing false tax returns and obstruction the Internal Revenue Service, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In 2015, Edwards allegedly agreed to file missing income tax returns for 2009 through 2013 with the IRS. The indictment alleges that Edwards — despite filing the returns as agreed and accurately reporting millions of dollars in income — did not pay any of the $2.4 million in taxes he reported he owed.
When the IRS began trying to collect the unpaid taxes in 2015, and continuing until 2023, Edwards allegedly tried to impede the IRS’ collection efforts by transferring assets to his wife, submitting false information to the IRS about his assets, filing false tax returns and making false statements to IRS investigators.
He also reportedly filed documents with a local court falsely claiming that Notices of Federal Tax Lien filed against him by the IRS him had been terminated.
If convicted, Edwards faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the tax evasion charge and three years in prison for the obstruction charge and each charge of filing a false tax return.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.
