According to Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, Douglas Bruce -- former prosecutor, politician and author of the anti-tax, voter-passed Taxpayer's Bill of Rights -- has been sentenced to 180 days of jail, six years probation and other conditions for tax evasion. Here are the details.
* The judge's sentencing of Bruce on Monday follows a conviction by a Denver jury in December of three felonies and a misdemeanor stemming from a failure to pay taxes on income earned in the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years.
* According to a four-count indictment filed in April, Bruce funneled his income into the account of his nonprofit, Active Citizens Together. $2 million was deposited into that account, earning thousands of dollars in interest during the years in question. Bruce failed to report that income, the attorney general's office reported.
* In addition to jail time, Bruce's conditions for probation include making his computer files, state and federal tax returns, bank accounts, real estate and other financial transactions open to the probation department.
* Bruce has repeatedly questioned the court and government's interest in him since TABOR was passed in 1992. On his website, he says of the courts, "Remember, all judges work for, are paid by, and are loyal to the GOVERNMENT. They are NOT neutral decision makers, as we were instructed in school. They insist on being called "Your Honor" to appease their giant egos."
* According to his website, Bruce graduated early from high school, college and law school to become a deputy district attorney at the age of 23. He also spent 33 years as a real estate investor, retoring buildings "to good condition, despite extreme governmental and political interference" following the passage of TABOR. Bruce served as an El Paso County Commissioner in 2004 and was chosen to fill a vacant seat on the Colorado House of Representatives in House District 15 in 2007.
* Colorado's TABOR amendment, according to the Independence Institute in 2001, placed regulations n how much revenue government could keep and spend, and placed a cap on state revenue growth equal to inflation and population growth. The measure, though approved by voters, has faced many legal challenges over the years. Local governments have been able to be released from some of TABOR's limitations by voter approval in a process that has become known as "de-brucing."
* According to the Attorney General, Bruce is also required, as a condition of his sentence, to pay his back taxes and the cost of prosecution. The Colorado Springs Gazette is reporting that Bruce is appealing the verdict, but plans to turn himself in to authorities on Friday.
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