Castroneves Tax Evasion
Indy Car driver and “Dancing with the Stars” winner Helio Castroneves never sought to evade U.S. income taxes and he planned to pay the IRS when he received $5 million from a deal made a decade ago, Castroneves attorney told a federal jury Tuesday.
Defense attorney Roy Black said in an opening statement that the Brazilian driver knows nothing about U.S. tax laws and relied on experts to handle his finances. Black said there was no scheme to hide money from the IRS.
The Prosecutor Matt Axelrod disagreed, describing a series of allegedly fraudulent deals dating to 1999 involving a Panamanian corporation created to dodge taxes. Axelrod accused Castroneves’ business manager-sister, Katiucia, and Michigan sports attorney Alan Miller of playing a role in the fraud.
The three are charged in a seven-count indictment with tax evasion and conspiracy, that could land each of them behind bars for more than six years. The trial is expected to last up to six weeks.
