Alaska official gets jail time after gambling tax money away

JUNEAU — A Skagway Borough Assembly member will serve just over a year in jail and pay more than $600,000 in restitution for tax evasion.

Juneau radio station KTOO reported 61-year-old Dan Henry was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Juneau on four misdemeanor charges of willful failure to file income tax returns.

Henry owns the Skagway Fish Co. restaurant, and previously pleaded guilty to the charges covering 2009 to 2012 as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors say he admitted to similar conduct dating back to 2004 but didn’t face charges for those.

In a written statement presented to the court at sentencing, Henry blamed heavy drinking in 2005 for losing money set aside for the restaurant and taxes while gambling in Las Vegas. Instead of paying taxes in subsequent years, he continued to return to the casinos hoping to win the money back but the losses compounded.

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