U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of Mississippi
188 East Capitol Street
Suite 500
Jackson, Mississippi 39201-0101
Telephone 601-965-4480
Facsimile 601-965-4409

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2004

SUMRALL MAN GUILTY OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX FRAUD

DUNN LAMPTON, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, and MICHAEL J. NELSON, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, announced that RONNIE L. LEE, of Sumrall, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today to evasion of payment of federal income taxes based on his involvement in having a false will probated in an effort to hide his ownership of property from the Internal Revenue Service. LEE entered his guilty plea before United States District Judge David C. Bramlette III in federal district court in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

LEE was charged in March 2004 with attempting to evade and defeat the payment of federal income taxes that he owes to the United States for the calendar years 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998, in the total amount of approximately $125,931.

As explained in the felony information, LEE arranged to have a fraudulent will probated that previously had been tendered to a Revenue Officer of the Internal Revenue Service. The false will purported to bequeath property belonging to the defendant from the defendant's father, Larue L. Lee, to the defendant's son, Jason Scott Lee, whereas in truth and in fact, the defendant was bequeathed ownership of the property by virtue of the genuine will from his father.

It is important to underscore that this case involved concealment of assets in an evasion of "payment" of taxes already determined to be owed. LEE's use of the fraudulent will was an attempt to conceal his personal ownership of the assets he had inherited which could be used to pay his tax debts.

The charge against LEE carries a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment, a maximum fine of $250,000, and a period of supervised release of up to three years.
Assistant United States Attorney GAINES CLEVELAND is the prosecutor in charge of the case.

Mr. LAMPTON praised the efforts of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation for its diligent work in the investigation of this case.

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