Rex Tarwater, Tax Evasion, Missouri 2023

Rex Tarwater Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion in Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a shocking turn of events, Rex Tarwater, the 66-year-old owner of Sunrise Beach-based Semper Blue Professional Services, Inc., pleaded guilty in federal court today to failing to pay over $2.8 million in payroll taxes and $1.1 million in personal income taxes.

According to court documents, Tarwater waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of failing to pay over employment taxes and one count of failing to file personal income taxes.

As the owner of Semper Blue, Tarwater provided off-duty police security for public venues, including the Sprint Center and Kansas City Live. However, it is alleged that he failed to pay over to the Internal Revenue Service payroll taxes withheld from Semper Blue’s employees’ paychecks from 2015 through 2020. During that time, Semper Blue withheld more than $1.9 million in taxes from its employees’ paychecks, including federal income taxes, Medicare and Social Security taxes. However, no payments were made to the Internal Revenue Service, resulting in a total employment tax loss of $2,739,712.

Tarwater also admitted to failing to file personal income tax returns in tax years 2015 through 2020, resulting in a total personal income tax loss of $1,199,611.

Under federal statutes, Tarwater is subject to a sentence of up to six years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Rex Tarwater, 66, of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, is set to be sentenced after a presentence investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker, with the assistance of IRS-Criminal Investigation.

The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.

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