A Hardin County official fell from grace after admitting to shirking tax laws, the same set of rules she was once pledged to uphold. Kimberly Wilkerson, the now-former deputy clerk, pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and perjury as uncovered by a meticulous investigation spearheaded by the Tennessee Department of Revenue's Special Investigations Section.

Wilkerson, caught in a web of her own making, fraudulently registered her personal vehicle – an effort to dodge the due use tax. She faced the music in court where Judge J. Brent Bradberry accepted her guilty plea. The sentence handed down was two years of probation, coupled with the sting of having to resign her post, pay restitution, and cover fines, according to the Department of Revenue's statement.

Revenue Commissioner David Gerregano didn't mince his words, ensuring that the public understood the severity and intent of the action taken against Wilkerson. “The Department of Revenue strives to promote voluntary compliance of Tennessee’s tax laws by educating taxpayers and aggressively pursuing criminal sanctions for accountability of fraudulent actors,”  he declared. "This guilty plea underscores the department’s efforts to enforce Tennessee’s tax laws."

Ensuing the guilty plea, a cooperative venture unfolded between the Department of Revenue, and District Attorney Jody Pickens’ Office to close the case. In the wake of such cases, Tennessee citizens are urged to keep a vigilant eye and report any suspected violations of state revenue laws to the tax fraud hotline.

The lifeblood of Tennessee's state infrastructure, the Department of Revenue, is the overseer of tax law enforcement and collection. During the previous fiscal year, their efforts yielded an immense cache of nearly $22 billion in state taxes and fees and an additional payload of more than $4.7 billion for local governments.