by KYW's Mike DeNardo
A Montgomery County, Pa. attorney has been indicted on charges he created a complex scheme to help ten associates avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes.
Authorities say Bernard "Jay" Bagdis (right), 58, of Norristown, described himself as a member of the "anti-tax underground" and helped ten clients and associates to avoid paying more than $4½ million in income taxes.
US attorney Pat Meehan says among those indicted were doctors, engineers, and two owners of the Basement Doctor basement waterproofing company from Bucks County:
"They took the revenue that was generated by that business and then tied it up in all kinds of shell corporations and created a situation in which they then shielded the individuals responsible, or the corporations responsible, for paying taxes from ever paying those taxes. It's that simple."
Meehan says Bagdis, whose office was in Blue Bell, Pa., hadn't filed a federal tax return since 1990. He and 10 others are charged with hiding more than $23 million from the IRS between 1996 and last year.