Oregon Man Guilty of Tax Fraud, Cites Religious Beliefs
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – U.S. District Chief Judge Michael W. Mosman has found an Oregon man guilty of four counts of willfully failing to file tax returns during an unusual second trial.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports 55-year-old Michael Bowman, of Columbia City called in to the Monday hearing and blamed the judge for keeping him from using his “sincerely held religious belief,” as a viable defense to whether he voluntarily and intentionally broke the law.
Bowman plans to appeal.
Monday’s bench trial followed a mistrial declared in August when a federal jury couldn’t reach consensus in the case.