BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A Baton Rouge doctor accused of tax evasion was convicted by a federal grand jury after a week-long trial.
Dr. Melissa Rose Barrett, 49, of Baton Rouge and Clive, Iowa was indicted on September 8, 2022, in connection to a tax evasion case tied to a clinic she owned.
According to the Department of Justice, Barrett was convicted after owing $1.6 million in taxes between the years of 2007 and 2017.
“The IRS notified Dr. Barrett that she owed taxes multiple times and through various means,” the DOJ said in a news release. “Dr. Barrett undertook various steps to evade the payment of her outstanding tax liability, including preparing and filing with the IRS a false form underreporting income and inaccurately detailing her assets. Barrett also accumulated and concealed cash in a safe instead of depositing it in the bank.”
Officials said the doctor used the money to buy real estate, a home, a boat, an airplane and acres of farmland and hunting land.
After the conviction, the DOJ said Barrett faces a maximum of five years in prison and a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.
