Jacksonville Minister Pleads Guilty to Obstructing IRS Tax Collection Efforts
A Jacksonville minister has pleaded guilty to obstructing the IRS’s attempts to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes, federal officials announced Wednesday.
According to court documents, Brian Carn Jr. operated multiple ministry entities, including Healing House Ministries, Inc., Brian Carn Ministries, Inc., and Kingdom Culture City Churches. Prosecutors said Carn filed a 2015 tax return reporting more than $1.4 million in income and a tax liability exceeding $600,000 — but failed to pay the amount owed.
When the IRS moved to collect the unpaid taxes in 2016 by issuing liens and seeking to levy his bank accounts, Carn allegedly attempted to conceal his true income. Prosecutors said he amended his 2015 return and falsely removed nearly $1.3 million in previously reported income. To support the change, Carn hired a new accountant and supplied a backdated, fictitious employment agreement listing a salary of $120,000 and a $24,000 parsonage allowance. He allegedly told the accountant this was his total income for the year, despite knowing that his actual earnings were significantly higher.
Court filings indicate Carn presented the same misleading income information on credit applications, financial accounts, and lease documents, while continuing to earn far more through the ministries he controlled.
Federal prosecutors said Carn continued filing returns in subsequent years based on the fabricated income agreement, substantially underreporting his earnings. Beginning in 2020, he stopped filing tax returns altogether while still drawing income and using ministry funds to cover personal expenses.
When the IRS attempted to pursue the outstanding taxes, Carn made “numerous false statements and material omissions” designed to hide assets and mislead investigators, according to the Justice Department.
Federal officials estimate his actions caused a loss to the United States of between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
Carn faces a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison.
IRS Criminal Investigation handled the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief David Zisserson and Trial Attorney Max Wilner-Giwerc of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva announced the plea.
