Bethel Doctor Pleads Guilty To Tax Evasion

Anchorage, AK -- Acting United States Attorney Deborah M. Smith announced today that Dr. Leigh Gilburn (aka Dr. Leigh Gill, Tamory L. Gill), 45, a licensed osteopathic physician practicing at Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation in Bethel, Alaska, pled guilty to tax evasion. Gilburn admitted causing a tax loss to the United States of $181,000.

In the plea agreement, Gilburn admitted that she owed federal income tax during the years 1997 through 2002, and committed affirmative acts to evade assessment of federal income tax. Such acts included 1) filing a false 1997 Income Tax Return, claiming she earned no income, no tax due and owing, and was owed a refund; 2) submitting false Forms W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, to her employers claiming she was exempt from federal withholding; and, 3) sending voluminous correspondence to the IRS claiming that no such person as Tamory L. Gill existed and that the IRS owed her thousands of dollars for erroneously sent mail, according to court documents. Dr. Gilburn also admitted that she failed to file federal income tax returns for 1998 through 2002, despiteearning enough income to meet the requirement to do so.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 12, 2006, at 8:30 a.m., before Chief U.S. District Court Judge John Sedwick. Gilburn faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment, followed by three years supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and liability for the costs of prosecution.

The investigation was conducted by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service,CriminalInvestigation Division, and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice Tax Division.