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A former lawyer for the state of West Virginia has pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego to a felony tax charge, prosecutors said Monday.
Henry Clay Hart, 61, pleaded guilty Friday to aiding and abetting the preparation of a false tax return, Assistant U.S. Atty. S. Gay Hugo-Martinez said.
Hart formed and promoted tax shelters in 1984 and 1985 that promised alternative energy tax credits for the purchase of windmills, Hugo-Martinez said. In 1984, Hart failed to buy the windmills but prepared a 1984 tax return that said windmills costing $605,640 had been purchased, she said.
Hart, a certified public accountant, is a former assistant attorney general for the state of West Virginia. He lived in Southern California from 1981 to 1986, Hugo-Martinez said.
Sentencing is set for Jan. 22. Hart faces up to three years in prison and a $100,000 fine, Hugo-Martinez said.
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