Surgeon Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion Counts

A Rolling Hills plastic surgeon faces eight years in prison and half a million dollars in fines after pleading guilty this week in federal court to tax evasion.

Dr. Lawrence A. Saks, 39, faces sentencing Dec. 3. The Internal Revenue Service determined after a yearlong investigation that Saks attempted to conceal more than $665,000 in taxes owed the government from 1984 to 1987 by routinely cashing checks from his patients rather than depositing them into a business bank account, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeffrey C. Eglash.

In his 1986 tax return, Saks reported just over $60,000 in taxable income when the actual amount exceeded $478,000, Eglash said.

Saks pleaded guilty to one count each of tax evasion and filing a false tax return, acknowledging that he avoided paying about $200,000 in taxes, Eglash said. In exchange, prosecutors did not pursue additional charges.