Bee also served as a justice of the peace/Pima County
By KTAR
A former Arizona state legislator was sentenced Wednesday to six months behind bars for filing a false tax return, authorities said.
Keith Allan Bee, 56, of San Tan Valley, admitted that during each tax year from 2011 to 2013, he inflated the business expenses of his school bus transportation company to reduce profits and the taxes owed.
Bee included personal expenses and the depreciation of personal assets as if they were costs incurred as part of the business, the United States Attorney’s Office District of Arizona said in a press release Thursday.
Personal assets included several Ford Mustangs, a Chevrolet Corvette and a Porsche, authorities said, with the tax loss being $214,414.
“Reporting income and paying taxes are important aspects of patriotism,” U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in the release.
“Let this case serve as a reminder that all people, no matter their rank and circumstance, may face prison time when they cheat on their taxes.”
Bee also previously served as a justice of the peace in Pima County.
The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation handled the inquiry.
