Douglas Bruce - Crime, Trial, Conviction and Sentence

Crime, Trial, Conviction and Sentence

In 2010, Douglas Bruce was charged with money laundering, attempted bribery of a public official, and tax fraud after he was discovered to be using a small-government charity, he founded, to hide millions of dollars from the state taxman, pocketing interest and using the funds to further his political agenda. The case went to trial during which Bruce acted as his own attorney and, after eight days of trail, on Dec 22, 2011, after only four hours of deliberation, jurors convicted Bruce on four counts. On 13 February 2012 he was sentenced to two consecutive 90 day jail terms and six months of probation, during which he will have to make extensive financial disclosures to the court aimed to ensure he does not become a repeat offender. This was less than the two years of prison the District Attorney had asked for. He was also ordered to pay around $21,000 to cover the cost of prosecution and about $29,000 to cover the taxes that were owed. State Assistant Attorney General Robert Shapiro said,"Mr. Bruce, for personal, selfish and narcissistic reasons, took advantage of our charitable-giving process. He was able to cheat Colorado for the better part of a decade." Douglas Bruce defiantly denounced the trial, saying without contrition, "This was the dirtiest trial I have seen in 38 years, regardless of the outcome." On February 13, 2012, Denver District Judge Anne Mansfield sentenced Bruce to six months in jail and six years on probation, imposing strict conditions that will require him to disclose in detail his financial life, even allowing the government access to his personal computers. Mansfield said she doubts Bruce will successfully complete his probation as Bruce himself would show up tardy to trial and introduced evidence by throwing documents onto the floor, the judge said. “The defendant has absolutely no regard for the rule of law. His behavior during trial was reprehensible,”Manfield said. Assistant Attorney General Robert Shapiro said the outcome was fair, “Mr. Bruce’s life is going to be extremely transparent. That’s all we ever wanted,” he said. Bruce remained defiant, saying, “They will be able to have my body, but they cannot have my soul,” he said. Bruce began serving his sentence 17 February 2012.