Attorney General announces guilty verdict for Colorado Springs man in tax-evasion case
DENVER — Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that a Denver jury has convicted Colorado Springs resident Douglas Bruce (DOB: 8/26/1949) of three felonies and one misdemeanor related to his failure to pay taxes on income he earned during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years.
According to the four-count indictment, filed in April 2011, Bruce attempted to evade his tax responsibilities by funneling his income into the coffers of Active Citizens Together, a nonprofit he created in 2001, and failed to report such income to the Department of Revenue. For example, Bruce deposited $2 million in an account for Active Citizens Together. This account earned interest in the amount of $38,000 in 2005, $55,000 in 2006, and $85,000 in 2007, which Bruce failed to report to state and federal taxing authorities as income. During those time periods, Bruce used these funds as his own.
Bruce also was indicted for filing a false tax return on income he earned during the 2005 tax year and failing to file a tax return concerning income he earned during the 2006 and 2007 tax years.
Bruce is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. on February 13, 2012 in Denver District Court. He could face up to six years in prison or up to $500,000 in fines on attempt to influence a public servant, a class-four felony and the most serious charge Bruce faced.
Douglas Bruce convicted on all counts in tax evasion trial
A Denver jury today found small-government champion Douglas Bruce guilty on all counts in his tax fraud trial after eight-and-a-half days of testimony.
Bruce, responsible for one of the most influential ballot initiatives in state history, has been forced to surrender his passport and will be sentenced Feb. 13.
The most serious felony charge against Bruce, who represented himself, carries a penalty of up to six years in prison and a $500,000 fin.
Jurors, who deliberated for four hours, believed prosecutors who said Bruce used an anti-tax charity and another business to move millions of dollars out of view of state taxing authorities.
Colorado Springs Gazette
Bruce guilty of tax evasion, appeal planned
DENVER • Douglas Bruce has gone by many labels: anti-tax crusader, El Paso County commissioner and state lawmaker among them.
He has a couple new ones: Tax cheat. Convicted felon.
A jury found Bruce guilty Wednesday of evasion of taxes, filing a false return and attempting to influence a public servant – all felonies – and filing a false return, a misdemeanor. The convictions carry a penalty of three to 12 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
He will be sentenced Feb. 13 and had no comment as he made his way to the probation department, as ordered by the judge, for a pre-sentencing report.
“I will not make a comment prior to sentencing, except to say I will appeal,” he said.
The nine-day trial centered around Bruce funneling his 2005-2007 commissioner salary to Active Citizens Together, a charity he founded to push his political ideas. State officials also claim he earned $178,000 in interest from $2 million in loans he made to ACT and didn’t disclose the income.
Bruce defended himself in court, and the court proceedings were long-winded and contentious, punctuated by frequent disputes with prosecutors and the judge.
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