James F. McDonough
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732-568-8360 jmcdonough@sh-law.comFirm Insights
Former Chicago Bears' Chris Zorich Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
Author: James F. McDonough
Date: March 13, 2013
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Chris Zorich, the former lineman for the Chicago Bears, plead guilty to tax evasion, including failing to file federal income taxes for four years.
The ex-NFL star allegedly failed to file federal returns between 2006 and 2009, and is also being charged with generating income relating to work for his charity, deferred payments from the Bears, work for a law firm and appearance fees, according to NBC Chicago. In addition, he received $3,000 each month from the charity he founded in 1993 – the Zorich Foundation – the payments of which are supposedly related to the home office Zorich kept to manage the foundation’s records, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Although Zorich is said to be cooperating fully with federal prosecutors, he faces $100,000 for each of the four counts as well as up to four years in prison. Zorich has requested that potential prison time be reduced to probation. In addition, he explained that his cousin, Barbara Singer, previously handled both his personal finances and tax accounting, as well as the finances of his charity foundation. Singer was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2008, the Tribune notes. Zorich’s representatives said that while it doesn’t excuse his failure to file his taxes, Singer’s death did contribute to the majority of his financial troubles.
The case marks the second time that the former Bears player has been in hot water with federal authorities. Zorich was scrutinized in 2012 after $350,000 went missing from his charity organization, and Zorich’s bank records failed to shed light on how the funds were appropriated. Although he denied misusing the funds, he promptly promised to pay the unaccounted funds. In addition, he was barred from taking a leading role in charities in the state of Illinois, the Tribune reports.
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