BRIEF: Ex-Jupiter councilwoman tried to avoid paying nearly $1M in taxes

July 28--WEST PALM BEACH -- Former Jupiter councilwoman Kathleen Kozinski pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday to lying to the Internal Revenue Service to avoid paying $923,700 in taxes.

Kozinski, a retired estate planning attorney who served on the council from 1998 to 2005 and also served as chair of the board of the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre, faces a maximum three years in prison when she is sentenced on Oct. 7.

She and her attorney James Eisenberg declined comment as they left the courtroom after the 66-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of willfully filing false income tax returns. As part of her plea deal, she agreed to reimburse the IRS for the money she owes.

Federal prosecutors claim Kozinski failed to report all of the money she made from her law practice on tax returns from 2007 to 2012. Further, in 2011, she claimed a "farm loss" of nearly $114,000 even though she didn't operate a farm, they said in court documents. In 2012, she took a $39,000 deduction for the expense of operating a home office. But, prosecutors said, she didn't work from her home.

According to the Florida Bar, she is retired and no longer eligible to practice law in the state.

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