Milton C. Grimes, a Los Angeles attorney known for representing Rodney King, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion. In a case that tracks back more than two decades, he was also ordered on Tuesday to pay restitution amounting to over $7 million, as detailed by CBS News Los Angeles.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, Grimes had managed to skirt federal income taxes in 23 of the years between 2002 and 2023, accumulating an amount of $5,921,260 in unpaid taxes, penalties, and interest. In addition to a case of federal tax evasion, Grimes admitted to owing the state more than $1.3 million in delinquent taxes.
As reported by CBS News Los Angeles, despite numerous levies issued by the IRS on his bank accounts, Grimes reportedly continued his evasion by not depositing his income into the levied accounts.
"Despite being a respected attorney, Mr. Grimes also made the deliberate decision to cheat on his taxes for decades, evading the payment of millions of dollars in tax that all citizens are required to pay," Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally said, in a statement made by the Department of Justice website.
The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Valerie L. Makarewicz and Sarah S. Lee of the Major Frauds Section handled the prosecution, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
