IRS sues Ohio doctor whose views on COVID-19 vaccinations drew complaints

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio doctor who drew national attention when she claimed COVID-19 vaccines made people magnetic is being sued by the federal government over claims she hasn’t paid nearly $650,000 in federal taxes and late fees.

The lawsuit, filed last month in federal court in Cleveland, claims Sherri Tenpenny didn’t pay taxes in 2001, 2012 and 2013.

Tenpenny, an osteopathic doctor, has been licensed in Ohio since 1984. She told Cleveland.com that she’s tried to settle the dispute with the several times.

“This shows what the IRS can do to a person that they target,” Tenpenny told the newspaper. “This is a total harassment case. They’ve been doing this to me for 23 years.”

The lawsuit alleges that Tenpenny owes $646,929 overall, most of it late fees and penalties. It says she set up payment plans but didn’t finish paying her taxes for the three years cited.

Tenpenny, who lives in Middleburg Heights, drew national attention when she urged Ohio legislators to block vaccine requirements and mask mandates during the coronavirus pandemic, claiming that the shots made their recipients “interface” with cell towers and interfered with women’s menstrual cycles.

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Roughly 350 complaints were soon filed about Tenpenny with the medical board, which can discipline physicians for making false or deceptive medical statements. Tenpenny refused to meet with investigators, answer written questions or comply with a subpoena ordering her to sit for a deposition.

Tenpenny’s license was suspended in August 2023 on procedural grounds for failing to cooperate with the investigation. Her attorney had told the board she wouldn’t participate in an “illegal fishing expedition.”

The Ohio State Medical Board voted 7-2 in April to restore her license, with proponents saying she had met the requirements for reinstatement and had paid a $3,000 fine.