Ex-Casino Consultant Guilty of Tax Evasion
Charles G. “Jerry” Westlund Jr., a former state parole board member and political consultant to the Bicycle Club casino in Bell Gardens, was convicted Friday of tax evasion and forgery.
Westlund, 33, was found guilty by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury on six counts of evading state income tax and two counts of forgery.
A spokesman for the state Franchise Tax Board said the charges stemmed from Westlund’s failure to report more than $900,000 in consulting fees he received from the casino and political action committees in 1994, 1995 and 1996, along with his forgery of tax documents.
Westlund, a Long Beach resident, helped run successful initiative campaigns to block new card clubs that would have competed with the Bicycle Club.
According to the tax board, Westlund owes the state more than $80,000 in delinquent taxes.
His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 19, when he faces a maximum term of seven years in prison.
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