Accused Tax Cheat Tees Off in Boca

Of all the golfers at this weekend's Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Jim Thorpe is going to lug around the most baggage. The 60-year-old who won three PGA Tour tournaments and four since he's joined the Champions Tour, for golfers over 50, was charged Wednesday with cheating on his taxes...

By Thomas Francis

February 13, 2009

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Of all the golfers at this weekend's Allianz Championship in Boca Raton, Jim Thorpe is going to lug around the most baggage. The 60-year-old who won three PGA Tour tournaments and four since he's joined the Champions Tour, for golfers over 50, was charged Wednesday with cheating on his taxes -- about $1.6 million worth -- by the U.S. Attorney in Orlando.

Thorpe lives in Heathrow, a short drive north of Orlando. He entered a plea of not guilty this past week.

One would think that golf would be one of the worst sport for athletes who would cheat on their taxes -- prize winnings are readily available. On Thorpe's PGATOUR.com page, for instance, it shows how he racked about nearly $2 million on the PGA tour and over $13 million on the Champions Tour.

Seminole Magazine did a feature on Thorpe in 2006, crediting him with making generous contributions to a local church.

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