Former Sweden Town Supervisor Pleads Guilty To Tax Charge

ALBANY, NY (10/09/2009)(readMedia)-- New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Acting Commissioner Jamie Woodward announced that Nat O. Lester III, the former Sweden Town Supervisor and sole member of the Brockport law firm, Lester and Lester, pled guilty today to one misdemeanor count of failing to pay personal income taxes before the Honorable Stephen T. Miller, acting Monroe County Court judge.

Lester had been charged with felony counts of failing to file personal income tax returns for tax years 2004 through 2007. He resigned as Sweden town supervisor after the charges were filed.

Lester was sentenced to a conditional discharge. Prior to the plea, he had filed the delinquent tax returns and paid $43,380 in back taxes, interest and penalties.

Lester's delinquencies were uncovered by the Special Investigations Unit of the department's Rochester District Office in the process of identifying attorneys and other professionals who had neglected to file personal income tax returns.

Acting Commissioner Woodward said, "Regardless of how they cheat, these scofflaws force all other New Yorkers to shoulder a greater share of the tax burden, taxes that pay for essential services such as health care, education and transportation. The department is committed to pursuing all tax cheats so that every New Yorker pays a fair share."

Acting Commissioner Woodward also thanked Monroe County District Attorney Michael C. Green for his the aggressive prosecution of this case.

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