Mari Alexander, a former business owner in Tennessee, pleaded guilty on April 15 to willfully failing to pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for her company.
The case is significant because it involves more than $1 million in unpaid payroll taxes that were withheld from employees of a mental-health counseling center but not paid to the IRS. Such cases highlight the importance of employer compliance with federal tax obligations.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Alexander was the sole owner and president of a mental-health counseling center with multiple locations throughout Tennessee. She controlled the company’s financial affairs and was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare, and federal income taxes from employee wages. However, between 2015 and 2020, she failed to pay these funds over to the IRS and did not file more than 20 required quarterly employment tax returns. This resulted in a total tax loss exceeding $1 million.
Alexander pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to account for and pay over employment taxes. She is scheduled for sentencing on September 17, 2026, where she faces up to five years in prison. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek of the Middle District of Tennessee. The case is being investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, with prosecution led by Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler from the Tax Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah K. Bogni for the Middle District of Tennessee.
