SANTA ANA, California
A federal judge sentenced a psychiatrist who practices in Long Beach to more than four years in prison for paying a $30,000 bribe to an IRS agent who was auditing his tax returns, according to officials.
Dr. Harshad Shah, 62, of Cypress, was sentenced last week.by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney.
Shah was convicted of one count of bribery of a public official by a federal jury after a five-day trial in October 2016. The federal jury found that Shah paid a $30,000 cash bribe to an IRS revenue agent who had determined Shah owed $410,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.
Prior to pronouncing the sentence on Friday, Judge Cormac J. Carney denied defense motions for a new trial, to dismiss the indictment, to acquit Shah, and to strike the pre-sentence report.
In denying Shah’s motion to dismiss the indictment, Judge Carney addressed the defendant’s renewed claims of entrapment, writing: “The Government played multiple recordings of Defendant’s own words at trial that demonstrated that Defendant was not induced by the Government to commit bribery. The recordings provided direct evidence that Defendant controlled the relationship with [the IRS revenue agent], initiated the bribe offer, and continued to pressure [the revenue agent] to accept the bribe despite [the revenue agent]’s reluctance and multiple reminders that this conduct was illegal.”