Sunny to the Big House - but first a word from sponsors

Post by **filthbarrel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:05 pm

US: Surf champ sentenced to 3 months in prison for tax fraud US Garcia
By Allison Hoffman

SAN DIEGO, Oct 18 AP - Hawaiian ``surf king'' Sunny Garcia was sentenced
today to three months in federal prison for failing to pay taxes on more
than $US417,000 ($A554,925) in prize money won riding waves from Fiji to
Brazil.
Garcia, whose given name is Vincent Sennen Garcia, looked gloomy as the
sentence was handed down, but once outside the courtroom he quickly regained
the cheerful demeanour that earned him his nickname.
``I feel good, considering,'' Garcia said. ``It's a weight off my
shoulders.''
The six-time winner of surfing's Triple Crown pulled in more than $US1
million ($A1.33 million) in prize money during his five years on the
professional tour.
US District Court Judge Thomas Whelan gave Garcia until mid-January to
report to the Bureau of Prisons to allow him to honour a commitment to a
sponsor.
Whelan also ordered Garcia, who lives in Newport Beach, to spend seven
months in home confinement after his release and perform 80 hours of
community service, preferably helping disadvantaged or troubled children.
Garcia apologised and said outside the courtroom that he had been
overwhelmed by the amount of money he made surfing.
``I didn't surf because I thought I was going to make money at it,'' he
said. ``But coming from a poor family, you want to buy everything you never
had. I spent my money foolishly.''
The surfer was raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, dropping out of high
school to compete full-time in surfing in 1986.
Fellow world surfing champion Kelly Slater wrote in a letter of support
filed with the court that Garcia was like ``an older brother'' who had
welcomed the role of elder statesman in the surfing world.
Whelan said Garcia's role as a leader in the surfing community meant he
could not let the crime slide without jail time.
Garcia will have six months to pay as-yet-undetermined fees and penalties to
the Internal Revenue Service.
His lawyer, Steve Toscher, said Garcia retains some sponsors and is involved
in creating interactive surfing games.
Garcia, 36, retired in 2005, saying that he wanted to spend more time with
his family after 20 years chasing waves around the world.
He said he intends to compete in next year's Triple Crown surfing
competition and is considering a return to the pro circuit.
``I want to go out having fun instead of with this on me,'' he said.

Post by **Kunji** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:12 pm

Crime does not pay...

Post by **filthbarrel** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:14 pm

12:03 p.m. October 18, 2006

SAN DIEGO – Former champion surfer Sunny Garcia was sentenced Wednesday to three months in federal prison for failing to report $417,000 in winnings on his tax returns.

Garcia, 36, formerly of Encinitas, said he knowingly signed false returns because his focus was on surfing.

“I spent my money foolishly and didn't handle my affairs,” he said outside the San Diego federal courtroom where he was sentenced.

U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan ordered Garcia to report to prison by Jan. 12, and recommended he be placed at a prison in Lompoc, north of Santa Barbara. [url]http://www.bop.gov/locations/index.jsp[/url]

Garcia became a professional surfer at age 16, was ranked as a top ten surfer for more than a decade and became world surfing champion in 2000.

He was the second surfer to win more than $1 million from competitions, though, as most pros, he made most of his money from endorsement deals and sponsorships. He declared those earnings on his taxes.
He retired from the professional tour in November, though he surfed in the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach in July and plans to surf competitively again in November, before he begins his prison sentence.

Judge Whelan also ordered Garcia to spend seven months in home confinement after he gets out of prison and to perform 80 hours of community service, preferably with troubled youths.

“Some of those kids might not listen to their parents, but might listen to Mr. Garcia,” the judge said.

Garcia has been working with the Huntington Beach High School surf team, which trains near his present Newport Beach home, his lawyer said.

Garcia will also have three months after his release to reach an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service on how much of his back taxes to pay.

The IRS has tried to get Garcia to pay his taxes for nearly 10 years. Efforts to settle the case outside court ended in June 5 when Garcia pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.

Post by **dammit__01** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:02 pm

yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT

Post by **Squidlips** » Thu Oct 19, 2006 9:41 pm

best get ya tax returns in boys.......

Post by **pig champion** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 8:00 am

dammit__01 wrote:yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT

f*ck david hicks ... he's getting what he deserves ...

Post by **chrisb** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:14 am

Unfortunately sporting ability and business commonsense seem to be mutually exclusive.

Pro surfers really need to get themselves a competent and trusted financial adviser.

A cynic may argue that Sunny's jail time may be payback for those unpunished assaults.

Post by **dogsbreath** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:54 am

Post by **pig champion** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:54 am

saltman wrote:
pig champion wrote:
dammit__01 wrote:yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT
f*ck david hicks ... he's getting what he deserves ...
Sunny was pretty lucky - after refusing to pay for years he gets 90 days iof communing with like minded individuals and effectively gets payed at $8,624 per day - more than he ever earnt per day on the pro circuit!

HICKS What he deserves???? Imprisonment in a concerntration camp without a trial
Untill Hicks has a Trial before a court we will not know what it is he deserves.

let's see ... he trained & fought for the taliban ... hmmm, he seems like a real humanitarian ... save your whining, lefty socialist shite for someone who cares ...

Post by **Clif** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:13 am

save your whining, lefty socialist shite for someone who cares

get up on the wrong side of bed piggy.

The taliban, where Hicks was, isn't only militant and does do humanitarian work actually. Albeit with different ideologies. not that I agree with their ideologies ... but might as well stir you up more

it's all hearsay at the moment re Hicks and Taliban ... hence the change to military prosecution laws recently by our pal Bush.

BTW, better a whiny leftie than a bigoted xenophobic uncompassionate ill-informed right wing conservatist who favours ignoring the geneva convention and every international humanitarian law in the book ... whew, long insult haha

Sunny is lucky he only get three months! I hope he doesn't have to do it peak season.

I hope the prison doesn't overlook pipe

Post by **pig champion** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:30 am

Clif wrote:
save your whining, lefty socialist shite for someone who cares
get up on the wrong side of bed piggy.

The taliban, where Hicks was, isn't only militant and does do humanitarian work actually. Albeit with different ideologies. not that I agree with their ideologies ... but might as well stir you up more

it's all hearsay at the moment re Hicks and Taliban ... hence the change to military prosecution laws recently by our pal Bush.

BTW, better a whiny leftie than a bigoted xenophobic uncompassionate ill-informed right wing conservatist who favours ignoring the geneva convention and every international humanitarian law in the book ... whew, long insult haha

Sunny is lucky he only get three months! I hope he doesn't have to do it peak season.

I hope the prison doesn't overlook pipe

hey clif ... yeah you could say i got out of the wrong side of the bed today ... my rant was a little out of line ... apologies saltman - my bad.

you are right ... what hicks deserves at the very least is a trial ... and a fitting punishment ... which is guess will be determined by someone with all the facts

Post by **ether** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:36 am

Speaking of tax fraud, how about Wesley Snipes? A possible 16 years in prison for his tax-defying behaviour -

http://www.topix.net/content/ap/3032662 ... NL6OFL1648

Interesting to see how serious the US takes the business of tax. I guess if they didn't get the money, then they wouldn't be able to wage those unjustified wars they seem to like so much.

Post by **oldman** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:53 am

Thye definitely should have a 'white-collar crime' gaol separate from the assault, rape, murder type gaols.

I haven't always agreed with Sunny's outlook on life, but wish him well.

As for the Taliban, the USA supplied logistical support and weapons for a good 10 years or so. It would have been around the same time that Rumsfeld was shaking hands with Saddam Hussein, I think. As far as Hicks is concerned, there is no evidence that he fought for the Taliban at all, but lets not get into debates about disputed evidence, that would be what a trial is for.

At least Sunny got a trial.

Post by **dudhead** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:37 am

one thing about sport is that it bridges the social divide.

you dont need to be a well-rounded individual to earn vast amounts of money and influence. all you need to do is hit a ball accurately or run fast it would appear.

anyone remember the campaign to hide reno aberliro?
still got a vid at home with reno surfing in a singlet top long-legged wetsuit with flared bell-bottoms and lightning bolts down the side.
man had some style even if he was a cocaine dealer.

Post by **Sarge** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 2:49 pm

pig champion wrote:
dammit__01 wrote:yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT
f*ck david hicks ... he's getting what he deserves ...

you wouldnt happen to come from Redneckville would you mate?
Nar, surely your taking the piss? Or i know, just making an example of how ignorant and uneducated some people can be. Thanks man! You dumb Shit

Post by **pig champion** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 3:13 pm

Sarge wrote:
pig champion wrote:
dammit__01 wrote:yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT
f*ck david hicks ... he's getting what he deserves ...
you wouldnt happen to come from Redneckville would you mate?
Nar, surely your taking the piss? Or i know, just making an example of how ignorant and uneducated some people can be. Thanks man! You dumb Shit

hey sarge ... relax matey ... did you read my retraction after my original post?? who's the dumb shit now?

Post by **Sarge** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:11 am

pig champion wrote:
Sarge wrote:
pig champion wrote:
dammit__01 wrote:yer just look what happened to david hicks ... WAIT
f*ck david hicks ... he's getting what he deserves ...
you wouldnt happen to come from Redneckville would you mate?
Nar, surely your taking the piss? Or i know, just making an example of how ignorant and uneducated some people can be. Thanks man! You dumb Shit
hey sarge ... relax matey ... did you read my retraction after my original post?? who's the dumb shit now?

I'm the dumb shit and i apologise unreservedly, i think it was me who had gotten out from the wrong side of the bed. Pulling my head backing in right at this very minute.

Post by **munch** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 8:20 am

saltman wrote:Sunny was pretty lucky - after refusing to pay for years he gets 90 days iof communing with like minded individuals and effectively gets payed at $8,624 per day - more than he ever earnt per day on the pro circuit!

Umm not sure if I read it right, but I believe he still has to pay his tax bill as well as all the other shite

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