Former state Rep. Erik Fresen is headed to jail for 60 days for failing to file a tax return for more than $270,000, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Fresen led the state's budget committee, preaching the GOP message of fiscal responsibility while serving in the state House -- all while failing to file taxes of his own.
Fresen, a Miami Republican who served in the state legislature from 2008-2016, will serve a broken-down sentence and will sit in jail for 15 days each month for four months beginning Nov. 17.
Fresen failed to report his taxes for 2007-2016, while he was representing the people of Florida in the state House. In total, Fresen underpaid his taxes by around $214,000 when he earned about $75,000 as a consultant for Neighborhood Strategies, a company which is now inactive.
Fresen faced up to a year in prison but prosecutors pushed for a six-month jail term and six months of house arrest, a sentence U.S. District Judge Robert Scola ultimately whittled down slightly.
Scola also sentenced Fresen to serve a year of probation, while saying he intended to keep the former legislator in jail for the holidays in retribution for his crime.
“I want him to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in jail so that every holiday for the rest of his life he’ll think back to that,” Scola said.
Scola sought to send a message loud and clear to other legislators who were thinking about breaking the law.
When asked why he didn’t file his taxes, Fresen said he didn’t really have a good reason for failing to file his taxes for nine years -- but assured Floridians he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
“I assure you that this inexplicable, inexcusable chapter of my life will never be repeated again,” he said.
Fresen pleaded guilty in April when he owed $100,000 in back taxes to the government. Using a personal loan, his attorneys wrote, Fresen has paid back all of his debt.
Fresen’s original sentencing date was delayed by Hurricane Irma, which struck the state earlier this month.
Fresen’s defense attorney Jeff Neiman said Fresen has paid back his taxes and pushed for no jail time, but was ultimately unsuccessful.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
