A federal judge sentenced Kenneth Glasgow, of Dothan, to 2.5 years last week in federal prison for tax evasion, mail fraud and drug conspiracy charges.
United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart said the judge also ordered that Glasgow serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and pay the IRS $376,720 in restitution.
Glasgow, a pastor and Al Sharpton's half-brother, pleaded guilty to the crimes on February 24.
According to court documents, Glasgow founded two nonprofit organizations, The Ordinary Peoples Society and Prodigal Child Project.
He then solicited donations from other nonprofits and foundations, representing to them and to the IRS that he would use those donations for charitable purposes. Instead, Glasgow withdrew $407,450 in cash from the accounts of one of his nonprofit organizations in 2018.
Glasgow used the money for his own benefit and was thus required to report the funds as income on his tax return. However, Glasgow failed even to file a return for that year. In an attempt to conceal this activity, Glasgow provided erroneous information to his tax preparer, causing the preparer to complete IRS forms for Glasgow's nonprofit organizations that vastly understated the income of the organizations and omitted the financial benefits Glasgow received from them. From 2016 to 2019, Glasgow withdrew a total of $1,300,848.54 in cash from The Ordinary Peoples Society and Prodigal Child Project, never accounting for that money on the nonprofits' IRS forms or on any tax returns of his own.
Glasgow also mailed documents containing false statements to the Social Security Administration so that he could continue receiving Social Security disability benefits and related health benefits under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These statements described his physical abilities and daily activities as being very limited, despite reporting that he worked 50 to 60 hours per week for his nonprofits on the nonprofits' IRS forms.
In some Social Security forms, Glasgow falsely claimed that his physical limitations were so severe that he had difficulty driving and had to ride with someone. According to court records, Glasgow admitted to leasing a vehicle using funds from one of his nonprofits and listed himself as the sole authorized driver. In addition, Glasgow received traffic citations relating to approximately 27 different traffic stops between February 5, 2015, and August 11, 2020. All of the citations indicated that Glasgow was the driver.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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