Republican Senator Facing IRS Lawsuit Will Repay $5,000,000 in Taxes

Senator Jim Justice Settles Tax Debt

Senator Jim Justice from West Virginia, along with his wife, Kathy, has agreed to pay over $5 million in unpaid income taxes that date back to 2009, as reported by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

This settlement was reached shortly after the Department of Justice’s Tax Division filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, claiming $5,164,739.75. The amount owed by the Justices includes federal income taxes, penalties, interest, and various surcharges accrued since 2009.

The agreement highlights that the full amount, along with statutory interest, must be paid, although a specific timeline for payment wasn’t established. A judge still needs to approve this motion.

Even with a lawsuit brought against him by the Trump administration’s Justice Department, Justice is generally viewed as a political ally of Donald Trump, who won West Virginia by a significant margin in the 2024 presidential election.

The office of the senator did not immediately reply to requests for comments regarding this matter.

Jim Justice, 74, took over a coal mining business from his father and also purchased a historic mountain resort before diving into politics. He initially won the West Virginia gubernatorial election as a Democrat in 2016, then switched parties the next year. After serving two terms, he secured a decisive victory in the 2024 elections, taking over from Senator Joe Manchin.

However, the Justice family has faced financial challenges for several years. Reports indicate that they have been dealing with debts since at least 2016. As unpaid bills and various fines have started to accumulate, estimates have shown that their debts began surpassing their assets. Additionally, the West Virginia Department of Taxation filed liens totaling more than $5 million against Justice’s businesses this past August and September.

Recently, the IRS submitted a tax lien notice claiming the Justices owe more than $8 million. There was speculation that Justice might have dismissed the debt, but he commented in October that the IRS’s actions seemed politically motivated, comparing it to situations often faced by large corporations.