Carlyle Begay owes IRS thousands of dollars

DENVER

Carlyle Begay, the former Arizona state senator who switched to the Republican Party in 2015 because, he said, it better reflected his values of personal responsibility and self-determination, owes the Internal Revenue Service over $110,000 in back taxes and fees, according to IRS documents.

The taxing agency says Begay made $76,670 in 2011, $131,723 in 2012 and $51,442 in 2013 and failed to file a tax return for any of those years.

Begay has until June 5 to challenge the determination.

The former senator, reached at a Department of Interior listening session for the Navajo Generating Station, said he had not received any communication from the IRS and he filed taxes those years under his corporation.

Begay, whose background is in public health consulting, had income from VGM Group, Advanced Biohealing Inc., Sole Nation Health, The Write Choice Network, Shire Regenerative Medicine Inc., Mimedx Group Inc. and American Beverage Association, IRS investigators determined.

While Begay lists a master’s degree in health systems management from Arizona State University on his LinkedIn page, a call to the university confirmed he attended but did not graduate.

Other than the American Beverage Association, a trade group for soft drink producers, all the companies Begay consulted for manufacture or distribute medical products. Shire and its subsidiary Advanced Biohealing recently paid the largest medical device settlement in history after Department of Justice investigations revealed the company provided inducements and kickbacks to doctors and clinics for using its artificial skin product.

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