Oregon Attorney General John Kroger has announced the guilty plea and sentencing of Bill Sizemore on felony tax evasion charges. Sizemore was indicted by a grand jury in October of 2009 for failing to file state income tax returns for 2006, 2007 and 2008.
"Everybody has to pay their taxes," said Attorney General Kroger. "There are no exceptions."
William Lee Sizemore (DOB: 6/2/51) pleaded guilty before Judge Claudia Burton in Marion County Circuit Court to three counts of Oregon Personal Income Tax Evasion, a Class C Felony. Sizemore received a presumptive sentence under Oregon Sentencing Guidelines of 36 months of supervised probation. As part of his probation, Sizemore must immediately serve 30 days in Marion County Jail and will not be eligible for early release.
Under a plea agreement, Sizemore must also adhere to a number of additional probationary terms. Specifically, he must:
· Complete 100 hours of community service following his release from jail;
· Repay the state for his court-appointed attorney’s fees;
· Adhere to a battery of conditions that mandate expedient compliance and candor with the Oregon Department of Revenue;
· Within 120 days, file tax returns for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008;
· File all future income tax returns on time;
· Comply with all laws, including tax laws; and
· Complete his three-year probationary term without any violations, in which case the Department of Justice will make a good faith consideration as to whether his convictions should be converted to misdemeanors. This is a routine provision in plea agreements offered to all eligible defendants.
Evidence in support of the charges against Bill Sizemore was uncovered during a civil lawsuit against several entities that he controlled. That lawsuit established that Sizemore set up a sham charity to hide political contributions to various ballot measure campaigns with which he was associated. As a result of that case, Sizemore was banned from managing any charity pursuant to a 2009 court order.
The Oregon Department of Justice's Charitable Activities Section, which handled the civil lawsuit, subsequently referred the criminal charges to the Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Division for further investigation.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Andrew Campbell prosecuted the case for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Attorney General John Kroger leads the Oregon Department of Justice.
(photo from billsizemore.net)
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