A Long Beach-based lobbyist, whose clients included illegal marijuana stores in the city, was sentenced Monday to a year in federal prison for failing to report more than $750,000 in income over a six-year period.
Carl A. Kemp, owner of the public relations firm The Kemp Group and a former Long Beach City Council candidate, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, who also ordered the defendant to pay $210,661 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service to cover his back taxes.
Kemp pleaded guilty in July to filing a false tax return for the year 2012. On his return, Kemp reported that he had no taxable income, when his business took in about $180,000.
“For years, this defendant engaged in criminal conduct designed to conceal his receipt of three-quarters of a million dollars — much of which was cash paid by illegal marijuana businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “Failure to fully report income on federal tax returns is a felony offense that can bring prison as well as significant monetary penalties.”
In a plea agreement filed in court, Kemp admitted receiving a total of $754,783 in income that he failed to report on his taxes for the years 2007 through 2012.
When he agreed to plead guilty, Kemp posted an apology on his Facebook page, saying, “I made some irresponsible mistakes and I am prepared to deal with the consequences. I regret the impact that those mistakes are having on my family, however, I never misrepresented anyone that trusted me enough to advocate for their issues.”
–City News Service