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A former NFL football player and Maui businessman was sentenced to 37 months in prison Thursday in federal court for a tax scheme that claimed the Internal Revenue Service owed him more than $2.3 million.
Charles Loewen, 57, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and filing a false claim for a tax refund in March.
Loewen did not get the refund, but when state tax authorities tried to levy Loewen’s bank accounts to collect back taxes, Loewen had his wife open a new bank account in Arizona and closed his local bank accounts, according to court documents.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson also ordered Loewen to pay $235,288 in restitution for federal taxes, which his attorney said he paid 10 days prior.
Loewen still owes $127,000 in state taxes from 2004 to 2008, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Lie.
Lie said Loewen once played for the San Diego Chargers.
According to nfl.com, Loewen played for four seasons between 1980 and 1984.
Loewen, who was taken by the Chargers in the seventh round of the 1980 draft, played tackle and guard, according to pro-football-reference.com.
He is owner of Paradise Stone & Tile.
Paula Loewen, who wept during her husband’s sentencing, was also sentenced Thursday to three years’ probation and a $5,000 fine for failing to file a tax return for 2007. Watson did not give her any prison time, but he ordered her to pay $5,034 in restitution.
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