A federal grand jury in Nashville has indicted a former business owner on charges of failing to pay employment taxes to the IRS. The indictment alleges that Mari Alexander, from Columbia, South Carolina, who owned Ross Behavioral Group, did not remit withheld employee taxes to the IRS between 2015 and 2020.
Alexander, who was responsible for the financial management of Ross Behavioral Group—a mental health counseling center with multiple locations in middle Tennessee—allegedly failed to pay Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes deducted from her employees' wages.
According to the indictment, although IRS Forms W-2 and paystubs were issued to employees showing deductions, these amounts were reportedly not fully paid over to the IRS. The total tax loss is estimated at over $1 million.
The charges against Alexander include 11 counts of willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes. If found guilty, she could face up to five years in prison per count, alongside supervised release, restitution, and fines. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Jaworski for the Middle District of Tennessee announced the indictment.
The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation with support from the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. Trial Attorney Ashley J. Stein of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell T. Galloway are prosecuting.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty in court.