Mary C. Vernon, Atkins Diet book co-author, charged with tax evasion

• Facebook: Dr. Mary Vernon
• Vernon faces a litany of charges.

Dr. Mary C. Vernon may have tried to take too much off the top. Kansas federal prosecutors have charged the physician and co-author of Atkins Diabetes Revolution with five counts of tax evasion and one count of making a false statement to a bank in order to obtain a loan.

In a release Wednesday, prosecutors announced the indictment against the doctor, who practices in Lawrence and Shawnee. Vernon is a national figure often called upon by news agencies to discuss obesity, diabetes and low-carbohydrate diets.