By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, May 04, 2026

Three months after insisting he wouldn’t go to prison after pleading guilty to obstructing the IRS’ efforts to collect more than $600,000 in outstanding taxes, self-styled prophet and leader of Kingdom City Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, Brian Carn Jr., was sentenced to nine months in prison for his crime last Thursday.

United States attorneys also revealed in an April 22 sentencing memorandum that Carn, 37, who does not list having any children, and remains unmarried, made $14,600 in child support payments in 2024 alone.

Carn’s defense attorney, Walter Reynoso, highlighted during the sentencing hearing that he had performed good deeds, such as paying off people’s car bills and medical expenses to help them rebuild their lives, including those of his own family members, according to the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union.

Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan told the pastor, however, that: “When you get done, you’ll have the rest of your life in front of you to do good.”

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Carn’s guilty plea in a press release in January, claiming that he falsely underreported $1.4 million in income for 2015. He reportedly made several false representations and material omissions to the IRS to allegedly conceal his assets and income, causing a loss to the U.S. Treasury of between $550,000 and $1.5 million.

In their April 22 memorandum before Thursday’s hearing, U.S. attorneys had asked Corrigan to sentence Carn to 18 months in prison out of a possible 24 months “because it is necessary to deter others from committing the same crime and to discourage this defendant from reoffending.”

“On January 28, 2026, a mere 13 days after pleading guilty, Carn signed a 2024 tax return under penalty of perjury that again drastically underreported his income,” the filing states.

The U.S. attorneys say Carn reported on his 2024 tax return that he earned $17,425, but “he could not have possibly believed that.”

They highlighted evidence showing that he reported to a third-party creditor that he earned 14 times more income to qualify for a loan to purchase a 2023 Mercedes-Benz S680Z4 for $213,264.19 in December 2024.

“To qualify for a loan requiring him to make $4,312.48 monthly payments, he reported to the lender that his annual salary in 2024 was $250,000. Id. Indeed, even the total monthly payments on his car loan each year would exceed $51,000,” the U.S. attorneys state.

Carn also told court officials that he had no children, yet “made $14,600 in child support payments alone during 2024,” the U.S. attorneys state.

The filing further accused Carn of “minimizing and misleading” the public about the seriousness of his conduct.

In an interview with internet personality Larry Reid in January about his plea and the charges, Carn said the charges stemmed from an accounting error. When Reid raised concern that he didn’t want him to go to prison for the maximum penalty of three years, Carn insisted, “Well, I won't be. You know, I know how to handle that stuff in the spirit.”

U.S. attorneys insist Carn was being untruthful.

“Of course, the truth is exactly the opposite. Carn’s false tax returns did not result from accounting errors, but from Carn’s fabrication of a document specifically to cause his accountant to prepare a false tax return,” the U.S. attorneys state. “Obviously, this was not a result of ignorance, but was an act Carn committed with malicious intent to cheat on his taxes.”

He must also pay $1,000 in restitution per month and will have one year of supervised release, according to News4JAX.

His attorney said in a statement to the news outlet that Carn now “understands the seriousness of his conduct, the importance of complying with the law, and the responsibility that comes with public ministry and leadership.”

“Pastor Carn is grateful to the Court for its careful consideration of this case, and he respectfully thanks the Judge, the prosecutors, and all parties involved for the professionalism shown throughout this process,” Reynoso said. “He also appreciates the continued prayers, support, and encouragement from his family, church community, and those who have stood by him during this difficult time.

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/prophet-brian-carn-gets-9-months-in-prison-for-tax-evasion.html