MIAMI (AP) - Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves
has pleaded not guilty in Miami to charges that
he used offshore accounts to evade U.S. taxes on more than 5
million dollars in income. Appearing in court in handcuffs and leg
chains, the veteran driver was ordered released on
10-million-dollars bail. His lawyer said Castroneves would depart
later in the afternoon for a weekend race in Atlanta.
Terms of Castroneves' release allow him to travel for work in
the United States but not abroad, meaning he will likely miss a
race later this month in Australia.
A grand jury yesterday indicted Castroneves on charges of
conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for purportedly failing to
report to the IRS about 5.5 million dollars in income between 1999
and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a
maximum five-year prison sentence.