By AP/KWMU
East St. Louis, Ill. – A St. Clair County businessman has pleaded NOT guilty to federal charges of tax evasion and wire fraud.
Car dealer Jamie Auffenberg was arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis.
A federal grand jury indicted the 55-year-old Swansea man last month on 21 counts. He has been accused of evading more than $8.5 million in income taxes by becoming a partner in a tax shelter in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Auffenberg is free on his own recognizance.