'Bare Feet Shoes' Owner Gets Prison Term For Tax Fraud
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Delaware Valley man, co-owner of the "Bare Feet" shoe store chain with more than a dozen outlets across the eastern United States, has been sentenced to 2½ years in prison for tax fraud conspiracy.
Uri Jacobson, 42, pleaded guilty to paying employees under the table and filing false tax returns, and now must pay $1.2 million in back taxes and interest in addition to serving the prison term.
"I have two kids, eight and nine. Going to jail would be a tremendous impact on their lives..." Jacobson tearfully pleaded with the judge before sentencing.
But prosecutor Paul Gray noted that Jacobson continued to break the law for years, even after he knew he was under investigation.
Judge Lawrence Stengel, who noted that Jacobson was making as much as $25,000 a month, told the defendant that the US tax collection system depends on honesty, self-reporting, and integrity.
"And so. when we have someone who basically takes that system and turns it around or ignores it, or manipulates it so that it is to his advatage -- his Mercedes driving, shore vacation, Rittenhouse Square penthouse advantage -- we've got to do something about that," the judge told Jacobson before ordering him to report to prison on October 28th.
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