West Virginia Republican Senator Jim Justice and his wife have agreed to pay more than $5 million in unpaid back taxes to settle a Justice Department (DOJ) lawsuit.
The Justice Department filed suit against Justice early on Monday, saying that the West Virginia Republican has “neglected or refused to make full payment” of $5.16 million in debt that he and his wife owed in 2009. It was filed in the Southern District of West Virginia and at the request of the IRS.
Later in the day, a separate filing showed that Justice and his wife agreed to pay back the total in full.
The decision to settle the case marks the latest in a string of financial question marks that have surrounded the Senate Republican.
Justice, who served two terms as Governor of West Virginia and was elected to the Senate in 2024, has long faced financial headwinds. At his peak, he was once listed by Forbes Magazine as a billionaire; by 2021 his net worth had fallen dramatically, and by early 2025 it had reportedly dropped to “less than zero” when his liabilities outpaced his assets.
His financial difficulties extend beyond this tax matter:
- A 2024 financial disclosure showed liabilities of at least $158 million, including more than $50 million owed personally to a longtime banker in his home state.
- In February 2025, a U.S. district court issued a garnishment summons over a debt of over $3 million, plus interest, stemming from the default of a bond payment tied to Justice-owned coal companies.
- In October 2025, state tax officials placed $1.4 million in liens against the family-owned luxury resort The Greenbrier and its sporting club, citing unpaid sales tax.
- More broadly, his coal-, hospitality-, and agribusiness-related enterprises have been the subject of defaulted loans, environmental fines, employee benefit shortfalls and foreclosure threats.
The West Virginia lawmaker indicated to reporters last month that he believed the IRS’s claims against him were politically motivated.
“It’s just a situation we’ve got to go through,” Justice said at the time. “It’s more of a political move but at the same time it’s just a situation that big companies deal with all the time. You saw all the stuff that President Trump dealt with. At the end of the day, I’d say just let it be and see how it all plays out.”
Justice will be on the hook for $5,164,739.75, “plus statutory interest and other additions to tax accruing thereafter,” according to the settlement agreement, which still requires a judge’s approval.
While the settlement will resolve the 2009 tax matter, pending court approval, the multitude of other financial and legal pressures remains active.
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1.How does one burn through that many millions?
2. This shows how the government could burn through so many billions.
Sounds like a criminal to me? Ask yourself this question. What would happen if this was YOU?
He and his wife “AGREE TO PAY THEIR TAXES”???? I guess they should receive a VERY GENEROUS CITIZENS AWARD!!!!!! SUCH ARROGANCE!!!!!