Dr. Robert B. Sperrazza Sentenced For Tax Evasion And Currency Structuring

United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, announced today that Robert Sperrazza, M.D., age 61, currently a resident of Panama City Beach, Florida, and formerly a resident of Lee Co. Georgia, was sentenced by United States District Judge W. Louis Sands to serve 36 months in Federal prison.  The Court also ordered Dr. Sperrazza to forfeit $870,238.99 to the United States.  

Dr. Sperrazza was convicted by a jury on June 7, 2013 of 5 felony offenses, 3 counts of tax evasion and 2 counts of currency structuring.  Currency structuring is a criminal offense in which a person intentionally makes cash transactions in amounts under $10,000 in order to avoid the Currency Transaction Reporting Requirement of the Internal Revenue Service. 

The government’s evidence at trial proved that Dr. Sperrazza personally cashed over one million dollars in patient checks at the counter of a local bank, in Albany, Georgia.  Dr. Sperrazza structured the cash transactions in amounts under $10,000 for the purpose of evading the bank reporting requirements of federal law and for the purpose of furthering his tax avoidance scheme.

Dr. Sperrazza was formerly an anesthesiologist in Albany, Georgia.  He later moved to Panama City Beach, Florida where he briefly operated a pain clinic.  Dr. Sperrazza is not currently involved in the practice of medicine.

“Our tax and currency reporting laws simply require that we play by the rules.  Dr. Sperrazza tried to get around the rules and was caught by his own greed.  He may have been able to evade the tax laws, but now he faces a considerable prison sentence because the criminal law caught up with him,” said U.S. Attorney Michael Moore.

The case was jointly investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division and the Special Enforcement Program of the Internal Revenue Service and by the United States Secret Service.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James N. Crane.

Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, United States Attorney's Office at (478) 621-2603.