By Adam Ferrise
cleveland.com
(TNS)
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A Middleburg Heights doctor who sparked criticism for her opposition to vaccines was ordered to pay nearly $700,000 for failing to pay taxes for three years.
Sherri Tenpenny must pay back taxes for 2001, 2012 and 2013, along with penalties and interest, U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese ruled last month.
In total, Calabrese ordered she pay $698,982.
Tenpenny’s attorney, David Sporar, declined to comment.
Tenpenny previously told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer she tried several times to settle the issues with the Internal Revenue Service, had paid some taxes in those years and believed she was targeted because of her opposition to vaccines.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Tenpenny in 2024.
Tenpenny burst into the national spotlight in 2021 by testifying in front of Ohio lawmakers that the COVID-19 vaccine caused people to become magnetized, an already-debunked falsehood that sparked national attention and widespread criticism.
She also falsely claimed during her testimony that the vaccines interfere with cellphone towers and that cities were liquifying dead bodies and pouring them into water supplies.
Some 350 people filed complaints against her with the Ohio Medical Board, which suspended her license in August 2023 after she failed to cooperate with the board’s investigation.
The board reinstated her license the next year, noting that she complied with the investigation and paid a $3,000 fine. Her medical license expired in October 2025, state records say.
Photo caption: Dr. Sherri Tenpenny (Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center website)
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Tags: back taxes, COVID, Income Taxes, IRS, Sherri Tenpenny, Taxes
