Hart said he is not really in a position to talk about the unpaid taxes yet, noting he has been negotiating with the IRS for the past several years.
“I did the right thing and accepted responsibility for my actions,” Hart said. “I’m hoping the judge looks at all the good things I did for the community and realizes what I did was never out of malicious intent.”
Rather than “lay off a bunch of employees,” Hart said he elected to carry his payroll forward.
He faces up to a maximum $250,000 fine and up to five years in prison for the crime. The case is scheduled for sentencing at 10 a.m. June 22.
“I should have done differently — I’m not proud of it,” Hart said. “But I’m not ashamed of who I am. I help people every day.”
Hart, 44, currently resides in Cincinnati.
Rich Bevis, manager of the Middletown Municipal Airport, said he has been aware of Hart’s legal troubles for several months now.
“What he did was silly, but he owned up to it and told the government he would make good,” Bevis said. “He shouldn’t have done it, but he’s taking his lumps and moving on.”
Should Hart be sentenced to prison this summer, Bevis said it would not have an impact on skydiving operations at the airport.
“It’s basically set up to run by itself,” he said. “Whatever happens will not affect what’s going on out here.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.
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