Ex-Sen. Dawson Pleads Guilty In Tax Case
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – A former Florida senator has pleaded guilty to tax charges linked to a high-profile political corruption case.
Mandy Dawson entered her plea in federal court in Miami. She is scheduled to be sentenced on July 20. The charges carry a maximum sentence of up to six years in prison. Dawson will also have to pay the IRS the money she owes including fines and penalties.
Dawson, a Democrat, represented parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties in the state's House for six years and Senate for ten years.
Prosecutors say Dawson was paid about $82,000 through an aide for legislative support by Dr. Alan Mendelsohn. She was arrested in July, after the IRS claimed she didn't file tax returns for 2 years while she was in office.
Mendelsohn, a Fort Lauderdale eye doctor, pleaded guilty in 2010 to corruption-related charges and is now in prison.
No other politicians have been charged in the Mendelsohn case.
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