March 14, 2000
The first Olympic official is charged and pleads guilty in connection with the Salt Lake Olympic scandal.
Former U.S. Olympic official Alfredo La Mont has been charged with two counts of tax fraud stemming from the scandal.
Justice Department prosecutors filed the charges in federal court this morning.
This afternoon, La Mont pleaded guilty.
La Mont has agreed to assist the Justice Department in its investigation, which is expected to be finished within a year.
La Mont was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to impede and obstruct the IRS.
The second count accused him of filing a false tax return in 1997.
That return omitted $40,000 in income he received form the Rome bid committee for the 2004 Games.
Investigators say La Mont used a company called Citius, Inc, as a front to conceal income he received from the Salt Lake bid committee.
Documents made public today say La Mont agreed to "obtain and provide information and services to assist the bid committee in defeating the other U.S. cities against which it was competing to be selected."
What does all this mean?
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It's quite possible the scandal and trials stemming from the scandal will extend well after the Olympics are over due to the fact these cases take a lot of time.
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La Mont is agreeing to help prosecutors--that means other higherups with the Salt Lake Olympic effort, the International Olympic Committee and the USOC could be implicated and indicted.
That thought no doubt has plenty of people on pins and needles today.
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