Pastor Anthony Jinwright and his wife were convicted of tax evasion yesterday in Charlotte.
Fifty-three-year-old Anthony Jinwright was convicted of 13 of the 18 charges against him, including conspiracy, tax evasion and filing false tax returns. He faces up to 53 years in prison.
Fifty-year-old Harriet Jinwright was convicted of four of the 13 charges against her, including conspiracy and tax evasion. She could be sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Their defense was based on ignorance. As in… they were too dumb to understand that earning millions required one to pay taxes.
The Jinwrights' lawyers contend that prosecutors must prove the couple acted with criminal intent. Anthony Jinwright on Tuesday said he'd made innocent mistakes, not willful evasions.
Hinson and Harriet Jinwright's lawyer, Kevin Tate, tried to hammer that point home throughout the day.
Jinwright testified that he is trying to sell his home and cars in hopes of paying off his taxes, and emphasized that he has learned his lesson.
Would that include selling your Bentley? What a joke. I’m pleased to see the jury saw through their lies. I’m also please to see that Anthony Jinwright was remanded to custody after the verdict. No more joy rides in expensive cars or lavish dinner at the finest restaurants. No, It’s a bologna sandwich now.
I read in one account that his church took out a line of credit so that the Jinwrights could have a$50k per year raise, and this was on top of a already generous salary. Plus the church was bouncing checks while paying for over the top leases on luxury cars. These people deserve prison.
Related posts
- Christ sure pays (March 2010)
- Minister accused of tax evasion: ‘I am not guilty’ (April 2009)
- Pastor indicted for tax evasion (April 2009)
