Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., and his wife, Cathy Justice, have agreed to pay $5.16 million in back taxes for the 2009 tax year, immediately settling a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department at the request of the IRS.
The civil suit, which was filed on Monday in the Southern District of West Virginia, stated that the senator and his wife were contacted by a representative of the Treasury Department and advised of their outstanding debt for that tax year, but the couple has "neglected or refused to make full payment of those assessments to the United States."
The government requested that the court compel them to pay the unpaid federal income tax as well as "statutory interest and other additions to tax accruing thereafter according to law until paid in full."
Additionally, the suit asked for "other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper."
Bloomberg reported that a joint motion for court approval of a consent judgment was filed a short time later on Monday, with the pair agreeing to pay the full amount owed.
Newsmax reached out to Sen. Justice's congressional office but did not receive an immediate response.
Last month, the IRS filed liens against the two totaling more than $8 million on unpaid personal taxes going back more than 15 years.
Sen. Justice inherited his father's coal mining business and also owns the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The senator's family settled debts in a separate case last year to avoid foreclosure on the 710-room historic hotel.
Speaking with local media outlets in October, he defended his companies, calling them "complicated and complex," saying his children "are doing a magnificent job" running them.
He also suggested that collection efforts against him were politically motivated.
"At the end of the day, I'd say just let it be and see how it all plays out," he said at the time, according to The Associated Press.
The two-term governor of West Virginia began serving in the Senate in January after winning retiring independent Sen. Joe Manchin's seat.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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