W.Va. festival co-founder enters tax fraud plea - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

W.Va. festival co-founder enters tax fraud plea

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -

Federal prosecutors say the treasurer of an annual West Virginia cultural festival faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to income tax fraud.

Deborah S. Starks entered the guilty plea Friday in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said the 55-year-old admitted to filing a false tax return in connection with an embezzlement scheme that drained more than $300,000 from MultiFest

Starks co-founded the annual event with husband Stephen Starks in the early 1990s. Currently held on the state Capitol grounds, MultiFest offers a mix of food, arts, crafts, music and other entertainment one weekend each summer.

She has agreed to pay $306,872 in restitution to MultiFest and $128,626 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Sentencing is set for April 2.

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