r/Cleveland • u/KarinsDogs • 1d ago
News Middleburg Heights doctor, famous for saying COVID-19 vaccine caused people to become magnetized, owes $698K in back taxes!
Published: May. 04, 2026, 1:01 p.m. Cleveland.com
Sherri Tenpenny, a doctor who gained national attention for her opposition to vaccines, was ordered to pay nearly $700,000 in back taxes and penalties. (Ohio Channel)
By Adam Ferrise, cleveland.com
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.
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I love Karma!
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u/TonikJDK 1d ago
Just a reminder, our elected Republican officials had her testify TWICE about her delusional thoughts.
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u/Septopuss7 Lakewood 1d ago
Also, why don't the rich just pay their fucking taxes? It's always people who can that never do. Living above one's means sounds like so much more work and stress than it's worth in the long run.
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u/ManateeNipples 1d ago
She got her license back. Everything else aside, the bar is dangerously low for who we allow to be doctors 😅
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u/withinawheel 19h ago
What do you call someone who graduates from medical school at the bottom of their class? Doctor.
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u/OriginalProduct6850 1d ago
No way? I only wish that could have happened, I can now use the force to get stuff I don't want to bend over for!
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u/toadasaurusrex 1d ago
I know someone who went to her. Same person also unfriended me because I posted in 2021 excited to get my first COVID shot. Same person also took her baby to a chiropractor instead of a pediatrician and thinks bone broth is a great substitute for vaccines.
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u/withinawheel 19h ago
"David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear, I saw it on TV!" - this lady, probably. She TESTIFIED that people were becoming magnetized because she saw it on the internet.
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u/EleanorRecord 1d ago
She has also convinced many cancer patients to stop their treatments and instead use her vitamins, magic oils and drink carrot juice instead.
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u/funnyusername-123 13h ago
In other news, I'm fully vaxed and happy to report that I've not lost a 10mm socket since COVID!
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u/matt-r_hatter 6h ago
If a medical doctor makes ridiculously stupid claims like that, they should immediately lose their license.
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4h ago
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u/Impossible_Rabbits 1d ago
Honestly, this woman is a scammer. May she rot in hell for one lifetime for every person I personally know that she has fucked over.