Not-guilty pleas entered for chiropractor

BANGOR – A federal judge instructed a court clerk on Friday to enter not-guilty pleas on behalf of a local chiropractor charged with tax evasion when the doctor, who is representing himself, seemed unsure of what to do.

Richard J. Thomas, 61, who operates Thomas Wellness Center on Stillwater Avenue, was indicted last year by a federal grand jury on six counts of tax evasion. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

Thomas appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk in U.S. District Court in Bangor to be arraigned for the third time in six weeks. The judge had continued the proceeding twice to allow the chiropractor to hire an attorney.

The doctor told the court he had no choice but to represent himself because the attorneys to whom he had spoken either had required retainers of more than $10,000, which he could not afford, or were not competent to represent him.

Thomas, however, has been representing himself since 2002 when he sought to quash demands by the Internal Revenue Service for financial information from banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions he had done business with. He lost that case two years later after he appealed it himself to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

The doctor allegedly failed to pay nearly $200,000 in taxes from 1995 to 2001. Thomas allegedly failed to file tax returns during those years and did not make full payments after receiving notices from the IRS.

He used a number of deceptive techniques to attempt to dupe the government, according to court documents. Among them was establishing a corporation and getting a credit card and depositing business receipts under its name, the documents state.

Thomas also transferred real estate and registered a boat that he bought with cash under the names of two separate trusts, according to court documents. He also allegedly used cashiers’ checks to conceal personal expenses and withdrew large sums of cash from his bank accounts to misrepresent his income and assets.

Earlier this week, Thomas filed an offer to plead guilty if prosecutors could prove he was guilty along with other motions.

Kravchuk told the doctor Friday that she could not rule on any motions until after he had entered his not guilty plea and prosecutors had an opportunity to file responses.

Thomas remains free on personal recognizance bail.