Ex-Lawyer Gets Time in Tax Evasion Case
Previously prosecuted for tax evasion in 1993, a Pennsylvania attorney has now lost his law license and been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison the second time around.
Tim Lucas, 63, had a mild form of bipolar disorder, only recently diagnosed, that sparked the spending sprees that got him into trouble, says his lawyer, Gary Zimmerman. He and another attorney for Lucas asked for probation or house arrest, but Chief U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster said he felt it was appropriate to give Lucas time, reports the Erie Times-News.
The sentence was below a recommended federal guidelines range of 21 to 27 months, and Lucas wasn’t fined.
“I have lost everything tangible and intangible. My reputation, my law license, my ability to earn a living and my ability to provide for my family,” said Lucas. “I have lost everything I worked to gain in 37 years.”
He voluntarily gave up his law license after pleading guilty last year to one count of felony tax payment evasion, concerning $300,000 in unpaid taxes over a decade, and will be eligible to reapply for it in five years.
