Sen. Mark Pryor Mired In IRS Interference

The IRS is billing two trucking company executives $2.8 million for unpaid employment taxes owed by Continental Express Inc., a Little Rock, Ark., company they headed but did not own.

The tax bills went to Ralph Bradbury, the company president, and Pete Campbell, the vice president, who had died, in October of last year, Arkansas Business reported.

The wife of Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., is the daughter of the company's owners, Ed and Bonnie Harvey, according to Arkansas Business.

Campbell’s widow received the bill on the day of his funeral. Bradbury has argued to the IRS that the Harveys and their financial adviser, Marvin Jones, are responsible for the taxes, which have since been reduced to $800,000.

“Why the IRS would stop its collection efforts with Pete Campbell’s widow and me is a conundrum to all who observe this matter,” Arkansas Business quotes Bradbury as saying.

Pryor spokesman Michael Teague said, “This office, nor Sen. Pryor, has dealings with Ed Harvey’s business decisions. Mark Pryor has made no phone calls, no discussions, no emails, no letters, no meetings, nothing with the IRS in regards to this issue or anything Ed Harvey does.”

The IRS told Arkansas Business that it doesn’t comment on individual tax cases and said the question of who ultimately is responsible for the money will “hinge on who the IRS determines was the ‘responsible person’ with regard to payroll taxes for the period that ended Sept. 30, 2008.”