{"id":254534,"date":"2026-05-01T21:27:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254534\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T21:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T21:27:07","slug":"jacksonville-pastor-who-tried-to-evade-more-than-600k-in-federal-taxes-sentenced-to-9-months-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/254534\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville pastor who tried to evade more than $600K in federal taxes sentenced to 9 months in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A prominent Jacksonville pastor who admitted he tried to avoid paying more than half a million dollars in federal taxes was sentenced to 9 months in federal prison on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/gmg-wjxt-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/news\/local\/2026\/01\/16\/jacksonville-religious-leader-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-irs-to-avoid-paying-over-600000-in-taxes-doj\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/gmg-wjxt-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/news\/local\/2026\/01\/16\/jacksonville-religious-leader-pleads-guilty-to-lying-to-irs-to-avoid-paying-over-600000-in-taxes-doj\/\">Jacksonville religious leader pleads guilty to lying to IRS to avoid paying over $600,000 in taxes: DOJ<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Brian Carn Jr., 37, founder and pastor of Kingdom City Church and leader of Brian Carn Ministries and Healing House Ministries, pleaded guilty to a federal tax charge announced by the U.S. Department of Justice. Prosecutors say Carn attempted to conceal more than $1.3 million in income after learning he owed the IRS more than $600,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In a live video posted to social media earlier this year, Carn told thousands of followers he was taking responsibility for the crime.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI did plead guilty because I\u2019m taking responsibility,\u201d Carn said. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s my taxes, my name. It\u2019s what the Lord entrusted me with, and I\u2019m responsible to handle everything that he\u2019s blessed me with integrity \u2014 and I didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">MORE | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2026\/01\/20\/jacksonville-pastor-admits-trying-to-evade-more-than-600000-in-federal-taxes-on-social-media-livestream\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.news4jax.com\/news\/local\/2026\/01\/20\/jacksonville-pastor-admits-trying-to-evade-more-than-600000-in-federal-taxes-on-social-media-livestream\/\">\u2018Yes, I Pled Guilty\u2019: Jacksonville pastor goes on livestream, admits to trying to evade more than $600K in federal taxes<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Watch the full video below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Court records show Carn initially reported earning about $1.4 million on his 2015 federal tax return. After learning the tax bill would exceed $600,000, investigators say Carn attempted to amend the return by falsely removing approximately $1.3 million in previously reported income.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">According to the plea agreement, the IRS later placed liens on Carn\u2019s properties in an effort to collect the unpaid taxes. Prosecutors say Carn then hired a new accountant and falsely reported his annual income as $120,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Investigators also allege Carn made several additional false representations, including:<\/p>\n<p>Omitting a real property he received from his grandmother through a quitclaim deed in 2016<\/p>\n<p>Failing to disclose a Cash App account used to transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars to his personal bank account<\/p>\n<p>Omitting an investment account in his name<\/p>\n<p>Failing to report ownership of two vehicles<\/p>\n<p>Listing his monthly income as $0 from 2017 through 2020<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">In the video, Carn said he was not blaming anyone else and described the case as a period of personal reflection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cThis is what God is doing in my life,\u201d Carn said. \u201cIdentifying things in my life to make sure I have ministerial integrity, financial integrity, relationship integrity, friendship integrity and physical integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Carn faced a maximum sentence of three years in federal prison, and prosecutors requested that the judge sentence him to 18 months, saying he did not take the charges seriously. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cCarn has diminished his crime and expressed confidence that he won\u2019t go to prison,\u201d prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. \u201cCoupled with the false return he filed after pleading guilty, this shows that Carn does not truly understand the gravity of his conduct. Incarceration will underscore to Carn that his crimes are serious and merit a serious consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">He has 45 days before he has to report to serve his time at a minimum security facility. He is also required to pay $1,000 a month in restitution and will have 1 year of supervised release. <\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">News4JAX reached out to Carn and his attorney for comment after he was sentenced. His attorney released a statement saying Carn \u201cunderstands the seriousness of his conduct, the importance of complying with the law, and the responsibility that comes with public ministry and leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cPastor Carn is grateful to the Court for its careful consideration of this case, and he respectfully thanks the Judge, the prosecutors, and all parties involved for the professionalism shown throughout this process,\u201d attorney Walter Reynoso wrote in a statement to News4JAX. \u201cHe also appreciates the continued prayers, support, and encouragement from his family, church community, and those who have stood by him during this difficult time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">This experience has been humbling. Pastor Carn is committed to making things right, fulfilling his obligations, and moving forward in a manner that reflects accountability, growth, and renewed dedication to his faith, his family, and the people he serves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 A prominent Jacksonville pastor who admitted he tried to avoid paying more than half a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[62147,1039,28,116,118,117],"class_list":["post-254534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-brian-carn","tag-duval-county","tag-florida","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}