Medical Device CEO Briant Benson Jailed for Tax Evasion

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Briant Benson, 59, of El Dorado Hills, is headed to federal prison after being sentenced to 12 months and one day for willfully evading personal income taxes while raking in over $2 million as President and CEO of multiple medical device firms.

U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. handed down the sentence today, marking the end of a years-long investigation into how Benson lived like a billionaire while reporting nothing to the IRS. Between 2004 and 2006, Benson filed zero tax returns — despite massive personal income — and left the federal government holding a $249,000 tax loss.

Court documents lay bare a pattern of greed and deception. Benson didn’t just dodge taxes — he funneled corporate money into his personal empire. Millions in company funds were used to buy multimillion-dollar homes, high-end jewelry, luxury furniture, and lavish travel, including stays in five-star hotels, private jet charters, and limousine services.

Even more brazen: Benson used company accounts to cover over half a million dollars in gambling debts. When IRS Criminal Investigation agents confronted him, he denied using corporate funds for personal expenses — a lie shredded by financial records and internal company transactions.

The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew D. Segal and Amy Schuller Hitchcock, who painted Benson as a CEO who treated his companies like personal ATMs while stiffing taxpayers.

Benson’s fall is a stark reminder that even white-collar criminals in lab coats and corner offices aren’t above the law. One year and a day behind bars may not erase the damage, but it sends a message: steal from the government, and the feds will come calling — no matter your title or net worth.