Harry A. Radcliffe, III, Conspiracy to Impede IRS, Ohio 2023

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A sitting Ohio County Magistrate has admitted to dodging the IRS while pocketing thousands in unreported cash. Harry A. Radcliffe, III, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Impede the Internal Revenue Service,” capping a sordid run of off-the-books payoffs tied to his judicial role.

Between 2013 and 2015, Radcliffe accepted approximately $22,000 in cash from William W. Seelbach, former owner of W&S Bail Bonding d/b/a A Bail Bonding by ABC (“ABC”). The payments were structured in cash — deliberately — to evade federal tax authorities. Prosecutors say the money was offered as bribes, a payoff for favors off the record, and kept hidden not only from the IRS but from the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, which requires disclosure of extra-judicial income.

Radcliffe willfully failed to report the $22,000 windfall, resulting in a tax loss of exactly $5,500.00. That figure now doubles as the restitution amount he’s agreed to pay under the terms of his plea deal. By law, judges and magistrates must report all income — especially when it flows from bail bond operators with business before the courts.

The scheme didn’t just break tax laws — it corroded public trust. Accepting cash under the table while wearing a judicial badge crosses a line from evasion into outright corruption. Radcliffe’s actions, investigators say, were calculated: cash exchanges left no paper trail, shielding both him and Seelbach from scrutiny during IRS audits.

Now, Radcliffe faces up to five years behind bars and a fine of up to $250,000. While the Federal Sentencing Guidelines will weigh the final punishment based on offense severity and criminal history, the admission of guilt leaves little room for leniency. Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick P. Stamp, Jr. presided over the proceedings, with no sentencing date yet set.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod J. Douglas and Shawn M. Adkins. Investigative work came from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the West Virginia Commission on Special Investigations, and the West Virginia State Police — a multi-agency dragnet that left Radcliffe no way out.

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