Federal Tax Judge Sent to Prison for Tax Evasion
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A former federal tax court judge from Minnesota has been sentenced to nearly 3 years in federal prison for evading taxes.
61-year-old Diane Kroupa and her 63-year-old husband Robert Fackler earlier pleaded guilty to charges connected to a tax evasion scheme that lasted about 10 years while she was serving as a tax court judge in Washington D.C. Fackler received a two year prison sentence in the case.
The couple maintained homes in Minnesota and Maryland and used fraudulent documentation to falsely claim personal and business expenses to understate their household income by about $1 million between 2004 and 2010. Officials say that allowed them to understate the amount of tax they owed by about $450,000.
The acting United States Attorney for Minnesota says Kroupa’s crime is particularly egregious considering her position of authority. Gregory Brooker says the evidence shows she used her knowledge of the tax laws to further the couple's fraudulent scheme and conceal their criminal conduct.