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Jim Thorpe Charged with Tax Evasion

Harry Longshanks

Harry Longshanks

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...golfer-arrested-thorpe-021109,0,1662579.story

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Feds: Pro golfer Jim Thorpe failed to pay $1.5 million in taxes

Amy L. Edwards | Sentinel Staff Writer
3:13 PM EST, February 11, 2009

Professional golfer Jim Thorpe, who lives in Central Florida, has been accused of failing to pay more than $1.5 million in income taxes.

Thorpe, who lives in Heathrow, was charged in a federal court filing today with seven misdemeanor counts of failing to file income-tax returns and failing to pay income taxes.

Thorpe, 60, who plays on the Champions Tour, has not been arrested.

His lawyer, Mark Horwitz, said the golfer is aware of the charges and will be present at his first court appearance.

"He will be entering pleas of not guilty," Horwitz said.

The golfer is accused of failing to pay his taxes from 2002, 2003 and 2004 -- years that he reportedly earned millions of dollars playing in PGA events, and from various endorsements and sponsors, including Foxwoods Casino.

The court documents also state Thorpe received at least $1.7 million in gambling winnings, which he used to continue gambling.

Instead of paying his tax liabilities, the documents state, Thorpe purchased an estimated $2 million home and a $61,000 vehicle.

Thorpe was previously investigated by the Internal Revenue Service in New York for failing to file his 1992 through 1995 income-tax returns.

Horwitz said he could not comment on the details of the Florida case but said Thorpe has been aware of the investigation "for quite some time."

"We will be defending this vigorously at trial," he said.
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Wow, I'm just impressed that he made enough money to owe $1.5 million in taxes. Not to mention the $1.7 mil he won gambling.
 
Maybe thats why Thorpe has been on The Golf Channel so much lately. He needs the money to pay his back taxes! LOL
 
What I will never understand is why these athletes think that no one is going to realize what they make. All the golf tours keep money lists and records and everything, endorsements are public...anyone could pull out a calculator and figure out a golfer's income!

Remember the guy who won the first Survivor, Richard Hatch? He got nailed because he didn't pay taxes on the money he won on the show? What are you thinking, no one knows you won that show?
 
I wonder what position he'll be nominated for in Obamas cabinet?
 
julie_m said:
He needs a FEMA admin. And you don't have to know or do anything for that job!
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I just figured he doesn't pay his taxes... he'll fit right in BHO

I love the fact that a tax cheat now runs the IRS
 
DDBowdoin said:
I just figured he doesn't pay his taxes... he'll fit right in BHO

I love the fact that a tax cheat now runs the IRS
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No, I got the joke! And I added to it. :smile:
 
These cases are tough to make. I expect that's why they charged him with misdemeanors: with a misdemeanor I believe you do not have to prove willfulness (i.e., knowledge of the legal obligation to disclose, and intentional failure to follow the law). I also think juries typically don't like tax failure-to-file cases, especially involving otherwise heroic or celebrated or famous figures (e.g., Wesley Snipes).
 
worst_shot_ever said:
These cases are tough to make. I expect that's why they charged him with misdemeanors: with a misdemeanor I believe you do not have to prove willfulness (i.e., knowledge of the legal obligation to disclose, and intentional failure to follow the law). I also think juries typically don't like tax failure-to-file cases, especially involving otherwise heroic or celebrated or famous figures (e.g., Wesley Snipes).
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That's interesting, if I was on the jury I would be harder on a celebrity that failed to pay his/her taxes. Like somebody else said, they often think that they are above the law.

I'll have to look up the Snipes case, I'd forgotten about his tax evasion.
 
Didn't Pete Rose do time in jail for tax evasion? Right about the time he got kicked out of baseball.
 
you have to ask if there was intent to defraud/evade or was it just bad/stupid bookkeeping. i don't know about the proceeds on gambling in the US . can't you spend your winnings and lose it without paying a tax?

in Canada, there are no taxes at all on lotteries and gambling winnings, although you have to pay tax on the money that it earns(interest)
 
NorthVanMike said:
you have to ask if there was intent to defraud/evade or was it just bad/stupid bookkeeping. i don't know about the proceeds on gambling in the US . can't you spend your winnings and lose it without paying a tax?

in Canada, there are no taxes at all on lotteries and gambling winnings, although you have to pay tax on the money that it earns(interest)
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You sign your tax return right under a statement saying it's accurate and you know what you're doing.

Under penalities of puerjury, I declare that I have examined this return and accompanying schedules and statements, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, they are true, correct, and complete.
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True-correct redundancy aside, you can't blame your tax preparer. I have no sympathy for failure to report income.

Gambling winnings are taxable. You can deduct losses only up to the amount of winnings, though if you are a professional gambler, you can claim business losses. So there are a lot of hobby loss cases out there about gambling. Here, that doesn't seem to be an issue.
 
Well if he had failed to report a couple thousand that's one thing, this guy owes $1.5 MILLION, that is more than a simple mistake.
 
MO_Hacker said:
Well if he had failed to report a couple thousand that's one thing, this guy owes $1.5 MILLION, that is more than a simple mistake.
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Right. Joe the Plumber missing $1,000 in taxes is one thing...missing $1.5 mil is another.
 
UPDATE: http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/Pro-golfer-Jim-Thorpe-prison-taxes-012210/?gt1=39002

Pro golfer gets 1 year in prison for not paying taxes

Updated Jan 22, 2010 5:59 PM ET
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Professional golfer Jim Thorpe has been sentenced to a year in prison for failing to pay more than $2 million in income taxes.

Thorpe's attorney, Mark Horwitz, said Friday that Thorpe must turn himself in to authorities by April 1. The golfer also was sentenced to two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service. He must try to repay the taxes while he's on supervised release.

In September, Thorpe pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to pay income taxes and had faced up to two years in prison. Horwitz said Thorpe "has accepted his punishment and will be getting on with his life."

Thorpe has won 13 times on the Champions Tour and three times on the PGA Tour.
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