Milwaukee lawyer sentenced to federal prison over $2.4 million tax debt

MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee attorney was sentenced Tuesday to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to pay more than $2.4 million in taxes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 44-year-old Eric Lenzen was a partner at two “prominent” law firms and paid no income taxes between 2016 and 2021. He previously pleaded guilty to two crimes involving failure to pay taxes.

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Federal prosecutors said Lenzen failed to pay the taxes he owed despite earning a “lucrative salary and financing a lavish lifestyle that included spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on private plane trips, jewelry and extensive home renovations, as well as golf clubs.’

During the sentencing hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Duffin described Lenzen’s conduct as “exceptionally aggravated.” The judge said Lenzen was given opportunities to pay his tax debt, but instead took steps to “thwart the government’s efforts to recover taxes owed.”

“When a crime is committed by a lawyer, it undermines respect for the law and the legal profession,” Duffin explains.

In addition to serving a 16-month prison sentence, Lenzen was ordered to pay $2,462,705.50 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service – plus fines and interest.