Judge accused with felony over taxes

Oklahoma County District Judge Kendra Coleman is now facing a felony charge over her tax troubles.

She is accused in the charge — failure to file a state income tax return — of intentionally evading payment of her 2017 state taxes.

She filed her 2017 state tax return Sept. 12, one day after The Oklahoman reported on her tax issues. It was due last year.

The judge ac knowledged last month she was behind on her taxes.

"I'm a regular person with regular issues the same as everyone else in the world," she told The Oklahoman ." It' s life. These things happen."

Coleman ,43, of Oklahoma City, was indicted last month on four misdemeanor counts of failure to file a state income tax return. Prosecutors on Monday asked a Payne County judge, specially assigned to the case, to dismiss those counts.

The indictment— handed down by the state's multicounty grand jury — involved her 2015, Coleman 2016, 2017

and 2018 state tax returns. Her attorney, Joe White, had called the indictment "false on its face ." He could not be reached for comment Monday.

Prosecutors focused in the new charge only on her 2017 state tax return because of new information. Her tax preparer said in an affidavit she sought extensions and filed the other returns before midOctober deadlines.

Also, prosecutors went with a more serious felony charge because of a" pattern" that they allege demonstrates an intent to evade tax payments. She failed to file tax returns on time when she owed substantial amounts of money, aDA investigator reported in a court affidavit. She filed state tax returns" in a timely manner" when she was due refunds, the investigator reported.

Filing the new charge Monday was District Attorney David Prater's first assistant, Jimmy Harmon.

Prater is seeking Coleman's recusal from every criminal and civil case involving his office. The judge refused last month to step down from those cases, and Prater is appealing. She has been reassigned temporarily from criminal to probate cases while the appeal is pending.

She has been assessed more than $100,000 by the IRS and state for overdue income taxes, penalties and interest, The Oklahoman reported last month.

She should have filed her 2017 state tax return last year by April 16 or Oct. 15, if she had an extension, according to the affidavit filed with the charge. She "failed to file a state tax return by either statutory deadline," the investigator wrote.

Coleman reported gross income for 2017 of $65,693, according to the affidavit. She indicated on the 2017 return that she owes the Tax Commission $1,210.

"This amount remains unpaid and is delinquent except for a single $25 payment," the investigator reported.