Prophet Brian Carn Pleads Guilty to Obstructing the IRS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The pulpit was prospering, but the taxes weren’t getting paid.
A Jacksonville, Florida-based minister widely known as “Prophet” Brian Carn has pleaded guilty in federal court to obstructing the IRS, after prosecutors say he intentionally tried to block the government from collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes — all while continuing to live comfortably off ministry money.
Brian Carn also pastors a church called Kingdom City Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to federal court documents and statements made in court, Carn operated his religious empire through multiple ministry entities, including Healing House Ministries, Brian Carn Ministries, and Kingdom Culture City Churches. In 2016, Carn initially filed a tax return for the 2015 tax year that accurately reported more than $1.4 million in income, along with a tax bill exceeding $600,000. The problem wasn’t the paperwork — it was the payment.
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Rather than pay what he owed, prosecutors say Carn watched the IRS close in. As liens were placed on his properties and the agency moved to levy his bank accounts, Carn allegedly decided to rewrite the story. Just months later, he amended his tax return and suddenly erased nearly $1.3 million in previously reported income.
Federal authorities say the revision wasn’t an accident. Carn allegedly hired a new accountant and provided a fictitious, backdated employment agreement claiming his income for the year was limited to a modest pastor’s salary and housing allowance. Prosecutors say Carn represented that this was his only income, despite knowing full well that he had earned far more — a fact he reportedly acknowledged when applying for credit, opening financial accounts, and entering lease agreements.
For several years afterward, Carn allegedly continued filing tax returns under the premise of that fake agreement, drastically underreporting his income while maintaining a lifestyle funded by ministry revenue. Then, in 2020, prosecutors say he stopped filing tax returns altogether — even though the money kept coming in.
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According to the Justice Department, Carn continued using ministry funds to cover personal expenses while the IRS was actively trying to collect the outstanding taxes. When investigators pressed him, Carn allegedly made false statements and left out key information in an effort to conceal his assets and income.
Federal officials estimate that Carn’s obstruction resulted in a loss to the United States of between $550,000 and $1.5 million.
Now, the self-styled prophet is facing the consequences. Carn faces up to three years in federal prison following his guilty plea.
The case was announced by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. It is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by attorneys from the DOJ’s Tax Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
