Former Port Richey mayor gets 6 months in jail

Last Update: 8/22 10:44 pm | WTXL.Com

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The former mayor of Port Richey and his wife have been sentenced to six months in jail and 6 months of home confinement for tax evasion.

The Tampa Tribune reports that a federal judge in Tampa sentenced Richard Rober and his wife, Averill, on Wednesday. The couple pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to defraud the federal government by hiding income from the IRS. They must also pay restitution. Rober resigned from office in March.

Federal authorities say the Robers diverted money from a water testing and treatment company they previously owned into a separate account. The couple under-reported more than $239,000 of income from 2005 to 2007, with unpaid taxes exceeding $55,000.

An IRS audit began following a 2009 civil lawsuit brought by Florida Utility Group, which bought the Robers’ business in 2007.