Marshall SandersVeteran Vicksburg attorney Marshall Ezelle Sanders was conducting business as usual today – a day after being told he faces up to 15 years in prison for not filing a federal income tax return since 1994.

Sanders, 57, has practiced mostly civil law for private clients in his hometown since 1977.

The three-count indictment on which he was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Jackson Tuesday alleges tax evasion for three years – 2000, 2001 and 2002 – and that Sanders grossed nearly $3.4 million in income those years.

In addition to 15 years in prison, Sanders potentially faces tax liability on his income and a $300,000 fine.

Although Sanders was reported to be in court representing a client this morning and could not be reached, a longtime friend said the attorney will continue to have his support.

Marshall Sanders’ law office at 1115 Monroe St. (Suzanne Feliciano * The Vicksburg Post)”I’ll never pass up the chance to say something good about Marshall,” said state Rep. George Flaggs Jr., D-Vicksburg, who said he had visited with Sanders Tuesday and today. “This (the charges) is just not in keeping with the person I know.”

Attorneys establish trust accounts for their law practices as conduits for exchanges of funds in real estate closings, settlements obtained for clients and other matters. The indictment accuses Sanders of using his legal escrow account to hold and dispense his personal income and says he made false statements to an IRS agent about the use of the account.

Sanders, who has an undergraduate economics degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Emory University, pleaded innocent to the charges and was released on a $10,000 bond.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson set his trial for the Aug. 5 term of court before U.S. District Judge David Bramlette.

Frank Trapp of Jackson, identified as one of Sanders’ attorneys, could not be reached.

“The prosecution of individuals who intentionally conceal income and evade taxes is a vital element in maintaining the public confidence in our tax system,” Internal Revenue Service special agent Indictment TextMichael De Palma said in a statement.

Sanders becomes the second Vicksburg attorney to face federal charges in recent years. Robert Arledge is now serving a 6 1/2-year term after being convicted in 2007 on charges that he knowingly submitted false claims for cash settlements to a pool created by the makers of a diet drug.

Under Mississippi Bar Association rules, a felony conviction results in the loss of a state-required license to practice law.