Tax-avoiding dentist gets 6 years in prison

A six-year term in federal prison awaits a La Crosse dentist with a long history of avoiding taxes. 

Dr. Fred Kriemelmeyer was sentenced to prison on Tuesday by a U.S. District judge in Madison. 

Kriemelmeyer was found guilty by a jury earlier this year on four counts of tax evasion. 

It was his third conviction, and the judge says that the dentist took several steps to conceal his income after his previous conviction. 

For more than 30 years, Kriemelmeyer has been charged with failing to pay taxes, and has argued that tax laws do not apply to private citizens.           

The federal jury found him guilty of taking steps to avoid reporting his income, such as making arrangements with patients to pay him in ways that would not leave a record of the payment. 

Investigators say Kriemelmeyer also continued to practice dentistry after his license expired.