A federal grand jury has indicted a Carthage doctor and his brother on fraud charges, according to an indictment filed today in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.
According to court documents, orthopedic surgeon Brian Ellefsen, owner of Southwest Bone and Joint in Carthage, and his brother, Mark, serving as his accountant, were involved in a 10-year scheme to divert at least $1.567 million into offshore accounts to avoid paying income tax. Mark Ellefsen was office manager for Southwest Bone and Joint.
The indictment said Brian Ellefsen used the diverted funds to "pay for cash withdrawals and charges made on the offshore credit card, payments for (his) personal expenses, payments on loans owned by (him), expenditures for the construction of (his) family home, and expenditures for the purchase of another residence located on Table Rock Lake, Missouri."
The Ellefsens misled the accounting firm preparing their income tax returns, according to the indictments, causing false income tax returns to be filed.
It's surprising to me considering the fact that Brian K. Ellefsen is such a prominent member of the community. People speak so highly of him and his family but as his next door neighbor, I disagree. Living next door to this man is a nightmare, I've always felt kharma would make rounds. His extravagent spending has always been quite obvious, I generally try to mind my own business. I had no idea he was in that much trouble, though. Should be interesting to follow the case and watch him skate by, people with money like that end up with good attorneys and a slap on the wrist.
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