North Carolina Doctor Convicted of Tax Crimes

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rodney K. Justin, a medical
doctor from Woodleaf, N.C., was convicted yesterday of obstructing the
internal revenue laws and of failing to file tax returns for several years,
the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. After
trial in Winston-Salem, N.C., a federal jury convicted Justin of four felony
counts of corruptly obstructing the administration of the internal revenue
laws by sending fake financial instruments called "Bills of Exchange" to the
Secretary of the Treasury in Washington, D.C., in purported payment of over
$350,000 in taxes. The jury also convicted Justin of willful failure to file
returns for the tax years 2001 through 2004.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Justin had not
filed a valid tax return since 1997. However, Justin earned in excess of
$200,000 each year from 2001 through 2004. Justin sent letters and bogus
returns to the IRS advancing false and frivolous tax defier claims purporting
to set forth reasons why he was not required to pay taxes. The IRS
repeatedly warned Justin that his positions were frivolous and advised him of
his legal duty to file returns and pay taxes.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, from 1998 through
early 2004, Justin was a client at Guiding Light of God Ministries, also
known as American Rights Litigators (ARL), formerly of Mount Dora, Fla. The
evidence showed that Justin purchased the four fictitious "Bills of Exchange"
he submitted in purported payment of income taxes from ARL.

Chief Judge James A. Beaty, Jr., scheduled sentencing for Feb. 18, 2010.
Justin faces a maximum sentence of 16 years in prison and a maximum fine of
$1.4 million.

Acting Assistant Attorney General John A. DiCicco of the Justice Department's
Tax Division commended the IRS special agents who investigated the case, as
well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Chut of the U.S. Attorney's Office for
the Middle District of North Carolina and Tax Division trial attorney Jeffrey
McLellan who prosecuted the case.

In August 2004, a federal district judge permanently enjoined ARL and two of
its promoters from the sale of a nationwide tax scam
(http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/August/04_tax_561.htm). In April 2008, a
federal court in Florida sentenced two promoters of ARL, as well as ARL client
Wesley Snipes, to prison for tax offenses
(http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/flm/pr/2008/April/20080424_SnipesKahnRosile_OcTaxSent.pdf).
In September 2008, five promoters of ARL were indicted for tax Fraud
(http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/September/08-tax-806.html).

More information about the Justice Department's Tax Division, including its
tax enforcement efforts against ARL and its customers, may be found at
http://www.usdoj.gov/tax.

WWW.USDOJ.GOV

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice, +1-202-514-2007, TDD: +1-202-514-1888