Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Tax Crimes

An assistant prosecutor in McDowell County has pleaded guilty to a federal tax crime committed while working in private practice. Acting U.S. Attorney Carol Casto says 38-year-old Jason Ray Grubb of Beaver entered the plea in federal court in Beckley on Wednesday to failing to pay employment taxes. According to Casto, Grubb admitted that while working as a lawyer in private practice, he pocketed taxes that were withheld from an employee’s paycheck. Grubb faces up to five years in federal prison and a $10,000 fine when he’s sentenced May 12. Casto says Grubb also agreed to pay restitution for failing to pay more than $247,000 in federal taxes, overbilling West Virginia Public Defender Services more than $126,000, and failing to pay a financing company for more than $29,000 in advances.