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SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah Transit Authority board member Terry Diehl pleaded not guilty Thursday to new charges that federal prosecutors leveled against him earlier this month.
Diehl, a Utah real estate developer, pleaded not guilty to charges of tax evasion and filing a false tax return.
An indictment unsealed this month alleges he 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.
Diehl, 61, also is accused of failing to include income on his 2011 federal tax return.
He previously entered not guilty pleas on charges of filing a false declaration and concealing assets in connection with his Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. Prosecutors allege he misrepresented more than $1 million on a commuter-rail land deal.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups on Tuesday also denied a motion by Diehl asking that a judge rather than jury 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 had opposed the motion.
Diehl is next due in court Oct. 24.
