Beaumont, Texas, Attorney Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Tax Violation

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Beaumont attorney was sentenced to 12 months in prison for failing to file his federal income tax return.

Craig J. Schexnaider, 63, of Beaumont, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn for one count of failing to file an income tax return. He was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and serve one year of supervised release. He must also pay his tax liability of $98,805.57 to the U.S. Treasury. The court set a surrender date of February 11, 2015. According to evidence presented at the April 14, 2014 guilty plea, Schexnaider, an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Texas, had gross income in calendar year 2008 of approximately $140,000, an amount in excess of the $3,500 minimum that triggered the requirement to file a federal income tax return. And, even after he requested a six-month extension for the filing of his 2008 federal individual income tax return and the Department of the Treasury approved his request and granted an extension until October 15, 2009, Schexnaider willfully failed to file his 2008 federal individual income return by October 15, 2009 as required by law.

The sentencing resulted from a Bill of Information that was filed in November 2013 charging Schexnaider with four counts of failing to file income tax returns when he had the following in gross income: $73,920 in 2007; $143,797 in 2008; $110,669 in 2009; and $43,740 in 2010. The government dismissed the remaining counts after sentencing.

The IRS conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Flanagan prosecuted this recusal case from the Eastern District of Texas.