MINNEAPOLIS — Kassius Benson, the chief public defender for Hennepin County, announced on Monday that he is resigning for "personal issues" after nearly two years.
According to Benson, his resignation will take effect Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, but he added that he'll be taking personal time off until then. In a letter to State Defender Bill Ward, Benson said his resignation is "due to personal issues involving matters outside of my position," adding that he'd be a distraction should he remain in the position.
While Benson did not specify his "personal issues," he was recently under fire after an unsealed search warrant revealed the Internal Revenue Service launched a criminal investigation in January targeting Benson for unpaid taxes.
No criminal charges have been filed, but the search warrant said an IRA revenue agent believed there was probable cause that Benson committed violations of the federal law titled "Willful failure to collect or pay over tax" prior to becoming the chief public defender.
The investigation began in July 2020, when an IRS revenue agent initiated an audit of Benson's private law firm. The warrant application says the audit found Benson failed to pay employment and unemployment taxes for the years 2013 and 2015-2019. According to the search warrant, Benson collected more than $159,000.
Benson ceased contact with the revenue agent in January 2021, the court document says, and a special agent from the IRS criminal investigation unit took over.
Special Agent Ryan Olson wrote in the search warrant application dated January 13, 2022, that he believes there is probable cause that Benson committed violations of the federal law titled “Willful failure to collect or pay over tax.”
The agent obtained the warrant to search the paycheck manager service website utilized by Benson. The search warrant was originally sealed in January at the request of the U. S. Attorney’s office. The government told the court the investigators intended to use a grand jury to interview witnesses previously employed by Benson. The order sealing the warrant recently expired, making it a public court record.
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