Independence Attorney Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

Duke A. Yates, 36, of Independence, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two armed robberies and illegally possessing a firearm after a high-speed chase, admitting to robbing a Quik Trip and Walgreens on Christmas Day 2023. Yates faces a minimum of five years in federal prison, with a potential life sentence, after he led police on a dangerous pursuit that ended when he crashed his vehicle. Separately, 69-year-old attorney John C. Carnes admitted to tax evasion, acknowledging that he willfully attempted to avoid paying $857,000 in taxes from 2012 to 2018 by misusing attorney trust accounts. Carnes, a former politician with a history of legal troubles, withdrew significant sums from these accounts for personal expenses, including gambling, and faces up to five years in prison. Both cases reflect serious criminal activity in Independence, highlighting issues of armed violence and financial misconduct in the community.