The Internal Revenue Service has filed a civil lawsuit against East Ridge Municipal Judge Cris Helton and his ex-wife, Esther Helton, claiming the Heltons owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes to the government.

According to the suit filed in U.S. Federal Court on Feb. 24, the government is seeking $438,556 in back taxes and penalties it claims the Heltons owe from Judge Helton’s law practice and for personal income taxes.

Judge Helton, a former City Attorney for East Ridge, was elected municipal judge in 2014, defeating long-time incumbent Arvin Reingold. Esther Helton was elected by a landslide to one of two City Council positions last November. The couple divorced in 2016.

According to the lawsuit, Cris Helton owes taxes on his law practice from 2004 through 2007, and also for 2009 in the amount of $408,321. The government claims that the couple owe personal income taxes for 2012 and 2014 totaling $20,651.

The suit states that Cris Helton is responsible for remitting to the IRS the federal income and social security taxes withheld from the wages of Helton Law Firm, PLLC employees, and that he has “willfully failed to remit those taxes to the United States.”

It states that Cris Helton was the “president and 100 percent owner of Helton Law Firm PLLC,” and that he “signed the law firm’s federal employment tax returns, and had sole signatory authority over its checking account.”

The suit goes on to allege that instead of Cris Helton paying his tax liabilities in 2012 and 2014, he “paid wages to himself and to his wife.” The suit is seeking $9,584 in penalties for those years.

Judge Helton, when reached by phone on Monday afternoon, said that he could not comment on the lawsuit,  as he had yet to see a copy of the document.

Esther Helton said that she would not comment about the lawsuit until after she spoke with her attorney.