Congressional staffer pleads guilty to not filing tax returns

A congressional staffer has pled guilty to not filing income tax returns over a five-year period, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday.

{mosads}Isaac Lanier Avant, who was the chief of staff for Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), faces a minimum of one year in prison.

According to DOJ officials, Avant will pay the IRS $153,522 in restitution as part of a plea agreement.

Avant, who also served as the Democratic staff director for the House Homeland Security Committee, did not file personal income tax returns from 2008 through 2013, according to the DOJ, while making more than $165,000 per year.

According to court documents, Avant has been a congressional staffer since 2000.

Prosecutors also said that Avant’s tax returns for 2006 and 2007 contained false deductions and that he claimed that he was exempt from federal income taxes through his employer’s office. 

A spokesman in Thompson’s office did not immediately respond when asked for comment.