President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Biden*

(R) Donald Trump

80%

20%↓

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

90%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

90%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(D) Adam Frisch

(R) Jeff Hurd

(R) Ron Hanks

40%

30%

20%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(R) J. Sonnenberg

(R) Ted Harvey

20%↑

15%↑

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Dave Williams

(R) Jeff Crank

(R) Doug Bruce

20%

20%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

90%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) Brittany Pettersen

85%↑

 

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

(R) Janak Joshi

60%↑

40%↑

20%↑

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
February 14, 2012 12:31 AM UTC

Doug Bruce Sentenced: 6 Years Probation For Tax Evasion

  • 37 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: Full press release from the Attorney General’s office after the jump. We’ll take odds on Bruce violating his probation at some point, given his history of refusing to turn over records and this line from the press release:

As part of his probation, Bruce will have to meet 20 additional conditions including, making his computer files, state and federal tax returns, banks accounts, and every real estate or other financial transaction open to the probation department.

—–

UPDATE: Tweets Joe Hanel of the Durango Herald, Doug Bruce to the pokey after all–sentenced to 180 days total on the tax evasion and influencing a public servant charges.

—–

Details coming shortly.

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that a Denver judge has sentenced Colorado Springs resident Douglas Bruce (DOB: 8/26/1949) to 180 days in the Denver County Jail and a six-year probation sentence for tax evasion during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years. As part of his probation, Bruce will have to meet 20 additional conditions including, making his computer files, state and federal tax returns, banks accounts, and every real estate or other financial transaction open to the probation department.

A Denver jury convicted Bruce of three felonies and one misdemeanor in December 2011.

Bruce’s sentence stems from a four-count indictment, filed in April 2011, that charged Bruce in the tax-evasion case. Bruce attempted to evade his tax responsibilities by funneling his income into the coffers of Active Citizens Together, a nonprofit he created in 2001, and failed to report such income to the Department of Revenue. For example, Bruce deposited $2 million in an account for Active Citizens Together. This account earned interest in the amount of $38,000 in 2005, $55,000 in 2006, and $85,000 in 2007, which Bruce failed to report to state and federal taxing authorities as income. During those time periods, Bruce used these funds as his own.

Bruce also was indicted for filing a false tax return on income he earned during the 2005 tax year and failing to file a tax return concerning income he earned during the 2006 and 2007 tax years.

Bruce will be required, as part of his sentence, to pay his back taxes and the cost of his prosecution.

Comments

37 thoughts on “Doug Bruce Sentenced: 6 Years Probation For Tax Evasion

  1. ….pissing off the trial judge normally is a ticket to a long painful sentence. I don’t know how he managed to dodge that one.

    From the Daily Prophet:

    Denver District Court Judge Anne Mansfield sentenced Bruce to six years of strictly supervised economic probation.

    Mansfield said Bruce’s age, 62, the type of crime he committed and his lack of criminal history outweighed his behavior at trial, which gave her pause.

    “It was apparent during the trial itself, the defendant had absolutely no regard for the rule of law. His behavior during the trial was reprehensible,” Mansfield said. “His behavior is used to gauge his likelihood of success on probation. It requires abiding by strict rules. I have serious reservations Bruce can be successful.”

  2. Press release from AG office


    PRESS RELEASE

    Colorado Department of Law

    Attorney General John W. Suthers

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    February 13, 2012

    CONTACT

    Mike Saccone, Communications Director

    303-866-5632

    Attorney General announces jail, probation sentence

    for Colorado Springs man guilty of tax evasion

    DENVER – Colorado Attorney General John Suthers announced today that a Denver judge has sentenced Colorado Springs resident Douglas Bruce (DOB: 8/26/1949) to 180 days in the Denver County Jail and a six-year probation sentence for tax evasion during the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax years. As part of his probation, Bruce will have to meet 20 additional conditions including, making his computer files, state and federal tax returns, banks accounts, and every real estate or other financial transaction open to the probation department.

    A Denver jury convicted Bruce of three felonies and one misdemeanor in December 2011.

    Bruce’s sentence stems from a four-count indictment, filed in April 2011, that charged Bruce in the tax-evasion case. Bruce attempted to evade his tax responsibilities by funneling his income into the coffers of Active Citizens Together, a nonprofit he created in 2001, and failed to report such income to the Department of Revenue. For example, Bruce deposited $2 million in an account for Active Citizens Together. This account earned interest in the amount of $38,000 in 2005, $55,000 in 2006, and $85,000 in 2007, which Bruce failed to report to state and federal taxing authorities as income. During those time periods, Bruce used these funds as his own.

    Bruce also was indicted for filing a false tax return on income he earned during the 2005 tax year and failing to file a tax return concerning income he earned during the 2006 and 2007 tax years.

    Bruce will be required, as part of his sentence, to pay his back taxes and the cost of his prosecution.

  3. Six years probation. Pretty light treatment  considering all the harm he’s done to this state over the years. (I know, I know, we need to leave open cells for people who glitter…)  

  4. Not sure I’d have been quite so lenient – 180 days?  Heck that’s only about 1/3 of what he should have gotten even with all the restrictions on his probation.

    1. There are child abusers and manslaughter convicts who don’t get six months in jail. I know you all hate Bruce, but you’re making hypocrites of yourselves. Don’t Democrats want sentencing reform for nonviolent offenders?

      Just not Doug Bruce! Hypocrites.

      1. He was convicted of not one, not two, but three felonies and a misdemeanor and 180 days seems unfair to you? Wow. Your hypocrisy is breathtaking.  

      2. Overcrowded prisons full of nonviolent drug offenders that can’t expand because Republicans don’t want to fund them, and can’t release the nonviolent offenders into job training programs because Republicans don’t want to fund that or seem soft on crime.

        (I’m not really convinced 180 days and six years probation is inappropriate here, I’m sure the judge took all necessary mitigating circumstances into account, but your point is silly.)

        1. Probably thinks the guy has a good heart and maybe just needs a hug.  “Ahhh wittle Brucie get a big bad time out.  Come to ArapaGOP and he’ll wipe away your tears.  We are can’t stand punishment of our own.”

      3. I want sentencing reform for drug offenses. Incarceration has never been an affordable, nor effective, substitutio for rehab. White collar criminals who rob taxpayers or investers of large sums of money? Lock them up and throw away the key.

      4. Oh, what’s that — the only Dem who ever said that was the fantasy Dem you keep in your head to be an easy sparring partner? Tell him I said “hi.”

        1. without that fantasy Dem he’d have nothing. And the best part is, unlike his blatantly false “facts” (see anything he’s ever said about regulation killing gas drilling here in Colorado for a recent example) which can easily be checked against the real, documented facts, “Dems say” claims created entirely in his own head aren’t so easily fact checked.  Can’t blame him for retreating  to a fantasy world the way things are going for his faves in the real one.  

    1. Neither he nor Newt Gingrich can ever see what they have done themselves is unethical. Both blame others. Psychologists call what they have “Clinical Narcissism”.

          1. And kind of inconvenient in his new life as a D.  And in the unlikely event that my surviving uncle ever sees this, I just want to say he may be a rightie but he has a heart of gold and you can find his picture in the dictionary next to “stand up guy”. Also he’s retired from rescuing people from burnng buildings. I guess you could call that crazy.

  5. when and where he reports for incarceration and greet him? Who would write a song we could sing to him? It should include themes of being a slumlord, tax cheat, traveler to Russia in search of a woman who hasn’t heard of him, etc.  

      1. He does lots of pro bono work, much of it that goes largely unnoticed.  His work on Gitmo prisoners is really important work.

        I hate Doug Bruce, but I love that David Lane is willing to represent someone that so many hate and bring his considerable talents to ensure that every citizens constitutional rights are protected.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

218 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!