Ex-chief public defender for Hennepin County gets probation for tax fraud related charges
Former Chief Hennepin County Attorney Public Defender Kassius Benson (Photo Courtesy: Hennepin County Public Defender's Office).
A former Hennepin County chief public defender will be serving time on probation and paying back roughly $213,000 after pleading guilty to tax fraud charges.
On Wednesday, federal court records show Kassisus Benson was sentenced to three years of probation and must pay back more than $213,500 in restitution for one count of failing to pay employment taxes and two counts of helping prepare and present fraudulent tax documents.
While he was sentenced for three charges, records show a total of 15 other tax-related charges were dismissed.
Benson must also follow special conditions set by the court.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Benson started as Hennepin County’s Public Defender in January 2021, according to his private law firm website. His resignation was confirmed in Oct. 2022, months after a warrant filed in federal court showed the IRS was investigating Benson’s private law firm for alleged tax fraud.
The warrant stated Benson’s payroll practices “failed to report the quarterly wages and employment taxes to the IRS for all quarters for tax years 2013 and 2015-2019”. It also states, “the investigation has established probable cause to believe KBL [Kassius Benson Law] and Benson violated federal criminal laws and that evidence of said crimes will be found in the subject account.”
Court documents describe further discrepancies in the law firm’s payroll and names Benson as the “sole shareholder” of the company.
Benson pleaded guilty to the tax crimes last December.