Former NASCAR champ, wife sentenced
Saturday, Jul. 31, 2010
RICHMOND, Va. Former NASCAR driver Tommy Ellis and his wife will serve time in prison for their scheme to defraud the Internal Revenue Service by not reporting all the proceeds from their car wash service.
The 1988 Busch Series champion was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison for defrauding the IRS of more than $133,000 in tax revenue from the couple's two Richmond-area Buzz Thru Car Washes from 2003 through 2007. Ellis' wife Brenda received a 12-month sentence.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson noted 60-year-old Brenda Ellis' health problems in giving her the shorter sentence. He will allow 63-year-old Tommy Ellis to serve his sentence after his wife finishes hers.
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