WILMINGTON, Del. – A former National Geographic photographer with a photo gallery in Rehoboth Beach did not enter a plea in his initial court appearance after being been indicted on federal tax evasion charges.
Bruce Kevin Fleming, of Lewes, is accused of not filing tax returns, paying personal expenses by diverting corporate funds and evading tax payments. A Department of Justice statement issued Tuesday says that Fleming, owner of Kevin Fleming Inc., evaded taxes between 2012 and 2016.
Outside of court after the hearing when Fleming was asked about what he plans to do moving forward with the case, Fleming replied, “No comment."
Court documents show Fleming faces five counts of tax evasion, four counts of failure to file tax returns and seven counts of failure to pay over employee tax.
Regarding those seven counts, court documents say he failed to pay $22,584 to the Internal Revenue Service between March 2016 and September 2017 after deducting the taxes from the wages of employees at his photo gallery in Lewes.
According to the documents, each of Fleming's five charges of tax evasion and seven counts of failure to pay over employee tax is punishable by up to five years incarceration. Fleming also faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and restitution.
On Thursday, Fleming was represented by a public defender. Fleming’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21, at 1 p.m.
Fleming's work has appeared in National Geographic and other regional and national publications. He has also been featured on the CBS Evening News.