Pharmacist Will Need Excedrin after Indictment

Jerry Harper Jr., a pharmacist from Collinsville, VA, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of failing to account and pay for employment taxes to the IRS.

Harper owned and operated Family Discount Pharmacy, Inc, which had multiple locations throughout Virginia. As the owner, it was Harper’s responsibility to collect and pay employment taxes.  Although Harper did withhold the taxes from his employees, he failed to pay those amounts withheld to the IRS from 2000 to 2014 and the indictment alleges that Harper only filed one employment tax return with the IRS in 15 years.  It’s estimated the amount of tax liability is more than $1.2 million.

Instead, Harper used the money to pay personal expenses, including investments in the stock market, payments for his son’s pharmacy school tuition, real property purchases in Virginia and North Carolina and several automobiles.

The statutory prison sentence is five years on each count, a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties.  A trial date is pending.