5th Circuit Upholds Tax Evasion Conviction of Notorious Expert Witness Dr. Calvin Ramsey
The Clarion-Ledger reported this weekend on the 5th Circuit upholding the tax evasion conviction against Dr. Calvin Ramsey. According to the article:
The IRS said Ramsey underreported his income and owed the government $232,117 in additional taxes. Ramsey contended he did not intentionally falsify his tax returns.
The 5th Circuit panel found ample evidence to show Ramsey tried to hide bank accounts from the government in addition to underreporting his income.
Dr. Ramsey is well known as an expert witness in Mississippi civil litigation. He had a reputation as being a hired gun who would render any opinion for either side if the side was willing to pay his hefty $750 per hour fee.
In a Hinds County case, Dr. Ramsey is rumored to have once agreed to testify as an expert witness for both sides. The trial judge (I believe it was Judge Yerger) threw him out of the case. I also heard complaints that he did not disclose his conviction to attorneys who had hired him and was still trying to collect fees post-conviction even though he was damaged goods. Dr. Ramsey is the only expert witness I ever saw who would not admit to his hourly rate at trial and had to be impeached with prior deposition testimony from another case.
Opinions differed on Dr. Ramsey's effectiveness as a witness. Dr. Ramsey is African-American and some lawyers thought that he was the best thing since sliced bread, particularly with African-American jurors. Others believed that he lacked credibility and was not very effective, regardless of the jury's demographics. I share the latter view.
It will be interesting to see if Dr. Ramsey is successful in reviving his expert witness career after released from prison. I suspect that he will still be an option used by parties with weak cases and large bankrolls.
