Senator Jim Justice, whose finances have been rocked by millions of dollars in recent claims by federal and state tax authorities, says the IRS actually owes him and that the conflicts have been shaped through political motivations.
“When all this is said and done, I will promise you to God above that what will happen is we will — Jim will — end up with significantly more dollars from the IRS than what we owe the IRS,” Justice said during a briefing with West Virginia reporters today.
“It’s just a situation we’ve got to go through. It’s more of a political move, but at the same time, it’s just a situation that big companies deal with all the time. You saw all the stuff that President Trump dealt with. At the end of the day, I’d say, just let it be and see how it all plays out.”
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has filed two liens on claims of unpaid taxes by Senator Justice and his wife Cathy, adding up to more than $8 million.
And, over the past couple of months, the West Virginia Tax Division has filed liens adding up to $1.36 million on The Greenbrier Hotel and Greenbrier Sporting Club, both owned by the family of Senator Justice, over sales taxes collected but not remitted.
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Justice had an online briefing today with West Virginia reporters, appearing from the U.S. Capitol. Reporter Steven Allen Adams of the Ogden Newspapers asked Justice the final question out of three posed by reporters who were called upon, offering the senator an opportunity to address several recent financial issues that have emerged.
Justice’s response addressed only the $8 million in back taxes claimed by the IRS.
The liens were filed by the IRS Oct. 2 with the Greenbrier County Clerk. The full amount claimed by the IRS across two filings is $8,053,554.37, and the sums go back to 2009.
Notably, 2009 was the year that Jim Justice sold the family coal company, Bluestone Coal, to the Russian company Mechel for about $436 million in cash and stock.
Justice, in the briefing, alluded to that key date, described a tax inquiry that focused on his finances since then and noted that his family’s business network is broad and complicated.
“I mean, our businesses are complicated — complicated and complex. There’s lots and lots,” Justice said.
“But, in that, from time to time you’ve got disputes. This goes all the way back to, believe it or not, 2009. In 2009, out of the clear blue sky and everything, we sold Bluestone to the Russians and we sold it for a lot of money and everything, and they said we’re going to audit you. Well, they did, they audited us and that’s great.”
Justice, in his description to reporters, said that went on over a period of years.
Over that same time, he said, the Justice-owned businesses filed for millions of dollars in tax refunds.
“We paid over $220-some million in taxes and we filed for refunds because at that point in time the coal market was so bad and the companies were losing lots and lots and lots of money. So we filed for refunds,” he said.
“Today, I’ve still never received my refunds. And my refunds are well, well, well in excess — well, the principle was 27 and a half million dollars, but the refund dollars are probably, with interest and everything, could have reached $40 million.”
The dispute went on, his remarks indicated, until Justice was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate as the Democratic Biden administration was coming to an end.
“If you don’t think these are political moves, you’re crazy — you’re just so crazy it’s unbelievable,” Justice said.
The liens were filed just weeks ago, several months into the Trump administration’s stewardship of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.