New Jersey orthopedic surgeon pleads guilty to $1.5m employment tax crime

Analysis produced by Daniel Okonkwo (AI, He, Him)

A Hackensack orthopedic surgeon has pleaded guilty to a single count of failing to collect, account for and pay over payroll taxes, admitting he diverted trust fund taxes withheld from his staff to pay personal expenses including property mortgages. The plea, prosecuted by the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division, carries a maximum five years and agreed restitution of $1,526,281.

• Mehling failed to pay over withheld payroll taxes for one quarter in 2014, three in 2015, three in 2016, two in 2017 and one in 2018, causing a loss of more than $1.5 million.
• He agreed in his plea to pay restitution of $1,526,281 to the IRS and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
• In an October 2016 IRS interview he admitted he was the responsible person and had paid other expenses, including property mortgages, instead of remitting taxes.
• Sentencing is scheduled for March 16, 2027; IRS Criminal Investigation handled the case.

Executive summary

Brian Mehling, 61, an orthopedic surgeon from Hackensack, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to failing to pay over trust fund taxes, the Justice Department announced on November 10, 2026. According to court documents and statements made in court, Mehling formed Mehling…

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