A St. Joseph tax preparer who runs a local firm is now facing 13 felony counts over his own state tax returns. Prosecutors say he underreported personal income, claimed bogus business and real estate losses, and skipped out on more than $45,000 in taxes across multiple years.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue says the Stearns County Attorney’s Office filed the complaint Wednesday against Mark Dorn, owner of Dorn and Associates Ltd. A report from WJON first detailed the charges, which include six counts of filing false or fraudulent individual income tax returns, six counts of failing to pay income tax and one count of filing a false property tax refund.
Licensing history
State records show Dorn's CPA certificate expired on Dec. 31, 2021. In 2022, a consent order from the Minnesota Board of Accountancy censured him and ordered Dorn and Associates to stop holding out as a licensed CPA firm. The board's public order describes a civil penalty and notes the firm did not have a CPA firm permit. The disciplinary action is detailed in publicly available Minnesota Board of Accountancy documents.
What the complaint alleges
According to WJON, investigators say Dorn filed some of his personal returns years late and reported individual income that was lower than the corporate figures for his business. He is also accused of leaving out income from two IRA distributions that he was required to report.
The complaint further alleges Dorn claimed false business and property losses and that he owes more than $45,000 in state income tax for tax years 2017 and 2019 through 2023.
Penalties and process
The Minnesota Department of Revenue’s standard language in tax crime cases notes that each tax-related felony carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, or both. Recent Minnesota Department of Revenue press releases in similar cases also point out that criminal tax referrals are prosecuted by county attorneys.
Local impact and next steps
Dorn and Associates, which the department’s materials describe as preparing roughly 1,500 returns a year, serves clients throughout the St. Cloud area. The charges are likely to prompt hard questions from customers who relied on the firm for their own tax filings.
The Stearns County Attorney's Office has formally filed the case, which will move through county court. Dorn, like all criminal defendants, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
