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SALT LAKE CITY — Federal prosecutors have slapped more charges on a former Utah Transit Authority board member already accused of misrepresenting his finances in bankruptcy filings.
Terry Diehl, a Utah real estate developer, now faces charges of tax evasion and filing a false tax return, according to an indictment unsealed Wednesday.
The indictment alleges that Diehl tried to hide $1 million from the IRS that his company, Wasatch Pacific, received in 2011. He allegedly transferred the money to another business he manages and lied to his accountant about how he got it. He also is accused of failing to include income on his 2011 federal tax return.
An arraignment on the new charges is set for Nov. 1 in U.S. District Court.
Diehl is scheduled to be in court Oct. 12 for a hearing on pending motions related to five counts of filing a false declaration and seven counts of concealing assets in connection with his Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Prosecutors allege he misrepresented more than $1 million on a commuter rail land deal.
Diehl has asked for a judge rather than jury to decide the case, contending that media coverage has the potential to bias jurors and that jurors might not be able to understand the complexities of bankruptcy and tax law.
Prosecutors oppose the motion. They argue that jurors would have the ability to grasp difficult legal concepts and that the publicity has not been as egregious as in other cases for which a bench trial wasn't granted. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy
