Suboxone clinic owner pleads guilty to federal tax charges
The founder of a Suboxone clinic in South Fayette Township pleaded guilty to charges he falsified information on federal tax returns.
Dr. Allan Clark, 57, of Peters Township, entered the pleas before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab Tuesday in Pittsburgh to three counts alleging he knowingly understated his income on returns he filed for the 2011, ’12 and ’13 calendar years.
The judge set sentencing for Nov. 13. Clark is free on unsecured bond.
Reached by phone at South Hills Recovery Project, which he’s owned and operated since 2011, Clark said he’d struggled with the business aspects of running the cash-only clinic as it “exploded” amid the opioid epidemic.
“I got sloppy,” the psychiatrist said. “I got so sloppy, and I’m paying the price.”
He pointed out none of the charges involved alleged breaches of drug or insurance laws.
He admitted to taking money from the company till for personal expenses such as home improvements instead of accounting for it properly, but added he’d found a good accountant who’d helped him correct the problem.
Federal court papers say Clark reported losses of $11,517 for 2011. He reported income of $6,189 in 2012 and $44,452 in 2013, respectively.
Clark said the exact amount of the tax loss in the case is contested, but he believes it’s less than $50,000.