Accountant says he falsified tax returns because Pflueger needed money

Prior to James Pflueger’s sale of an investment property in San Diego, the retired car dealer had racked up unpaid bills totaling more than $1 million from the lawyers, engineers and expert witnesses he hired following the 2006 Ka Loko Dam failure that killed seven people, Los Angeles certified public accountant Dennis Lawrence Duban said in U.S. District Court Wednesday.

Duban said some of the people had been pressuring Pflueger for their money and some even called him to get the bills paid.

Duban is testifying as a prosecution witness in Pflueger’s federal conspiracy and tax fraud trial.