Records obtained by The Desert Sun show incoming Indian Wells City Council member Ty Peabody has amassed over $1 million in unpaid taxes.
Peabody told The Sun that the liens stemmed from a 2005 corporate bankruptcy case in Los Angeles County which involved the restaurant he and his wife have owned for many years. He claims he settled the issue with the IRS five years ago, but declined to provide proof.
“Melissa Garcia, the county's chief deputy assessor-clerk-recorder, said a ‘release of lien’ — which is a public record — is supposed to be filed when someone pays off a debt entirely. Garcia said government tax collectors either send that release to the recorder's office or send it to the taxpayer, who must file it with the recorder themselves,” according to The Sun.
“No such record has been filed with the county for any of Peabody's debts, according to public records reviewed by the Desert Sun.”
Peabody also had tax liens against him from California’s Board of Equalization, the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, and California’s Employment Development Department. He declined to comment on the liens from the first two agencies, but said he paid down the debt owed to the EDD during his previous stint on the council from 2012 to 2020.
Peabody was elected to the City Council for a second time last month to complete the term of Kimberly Muzik, who resigned in May. He will serve just two years and says he does not plan on seeking another term after that.
Peabody defeated another former council member, Ted Mertens, in the November election. Ironically, Peabody’s platform centered on fiscal responsibility.