KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While appearing in court Thursday before a federal judge, John Carnes pleaded not guilty to nine counts of tax evasion, obstruction and failure to pay his taxes.
Rudolph Rhodes, assistant United States attorney, told the judge the state has 1.5 GBs of Carnes' tax records that will be submitted into evidence.
The KSHB 41 I-Team spoke with Carnes and his attorney, John Osgood, outside of court. Osgood said they're hiring an accountant to go over the tax records.
Carnes "may or may not owe back taxes," according to Osgood. But the attorney noted any potential failure to pay taxes was done without criminal intent.
"It's a misunderstanding," Osgood said.
When Carnes came into the courtroom, he walked over to reporters and said, "Here's my fan club."
Carnes sat quietly alongside his attorney during the arraignment, only speaking to answer yes or no questions from the judge.
The pretrial was initially slated for February. However, Osgood asked for a delay to give him time to hire an accountant to go over records.
The judge granted the request and set the pretrial for June 28, with the trial expected to begin July 17.
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