A former Luzerne County attorney has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for evading millions of dollars in taxes tied to lucrative legal fees, federal authorities stated.
Robert J. Powell, 65, of Palm Beach, Florida, was sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release after being convicted of tax evasion. Powell was also ordered to pay $3.5 million in reparations to the Internal Revenue Service, with potential extra taxes, penalties, and interest to be decided.
According to court records, Powell attempted to conceal income made in 2016 by opening bank accounts in other people’s names, asking an accountant to file a tax extension that falsely reported no anticipated tax liability, and making fraudulent claims during an IRS audit in 2019…