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Illinois Physician Faces Prison for Tax Evasion and Fraud

In a cautionary tale for professionals, an Illinois doctor from Lake Forest has been sentenced to 34 months in federal prison for evading $1.6 million in taxes and orchestrating a complex fraud scheme. Dr. Krishnaswami Sriram's actions underscore the critical importance of maintaining transparency in financial dealings and the severe consequences of violating this trust.

The sentencing comes after Dr. Sriram admitted to a prolonged scheme involving health care fraud, concealment of assets, and significant tax evasion from 2011 to 2017. The Department of Justice reports that Sriram cost the U.S. government approximately $1.6 million in lost tax revenue. Furthermore, additional court documents reveal this case was not the first instance of fraudulent practices attributed to the physician.

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This particular case involved multiple deceptive tactics. One significant method Sriram utilized was the covert transfer of two rental properties to his children, without their knowledge, while retaining control over the generated rental income. These sham transfers exemplify classic strategies for obscuring asset ownership and income from tax authorities.

Furthermore, Sriram strategically moved approximately $700,000 from United States bank accounts to holdings in India, adding a further layer of opacity. Such international transfer tactics test the IRS's capacity to track global financial transactions and highlight the cunning of such evasive maneuvers.

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In his efforts to settle the tax debt for less than owed through an "offer-in-compromise" to the IRS, Sriram failed to disclose essential financial information. By omitting details of his U.S. and Indian investment accounts and the true ownership of rental properties, he skewed his financial representation to falsely enhance his eligibility for significant debt relief.

The IRS, with the support of its Criminal Investigation unit, played a pivotal role in dismantling Sriram's intricate fraud scheme. This case exemplifies the government's vigilance in pursuing criminal activity within both the healthcare and tax realms. Such enforcement ensures accountability and acts as a deterrent against future misconduct.

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The sentence imposed upon Dr. Sriram, with its near three-year prison term, reflects both the gravity of his misconduct and the legal system's unwavering stance against fraudulent activity. Health care professionals wield significant social trust, and breaches of this trust, particularly involving sophisticated financial stratagems like offshore transfers and deceitful asset management, reverberate through the entirety of our financial systems.

This prosecution is one among many that marks the federal government’s comprehensive crackdown on both health care and tax fraud. Such enforcement actions, targeting everything from multi-million dollar Medicare scams to deceitful refund schemes, reiterate the government's firm commitment to upholding the integrity of these critical systems.

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