Friday, Aug. 8, 1997 | 11:57 a.m.
Convicted sports fixer Richard Perry today was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay a $30,000 fine for evading federal taxes for three years.
Perry gained notoriety after he was photographed sharing a hot tub with three UNLV basketball players. The photo contributed to the controversial departure of coach Jerry Tarkanian.
A federal grand jury in 1996 indicted Perry on charges that he failed to pay $208,000 in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle that included taking five world cruises.
The Internal Revenue Service said it had evidence that Perry made more than $655,000 by operating a gambling business where he would employ a "crew" of people to place bets at race and sports books in Nevada and elsewhere. If the bet was a winner, the crew member allegedly collected the money and turned it over to Perry or his managerial assistant, Michael Epstein.
Also sentenced today were Perry's ex-wife, Joanne Perry Epstein, and her husband, Michael, for aiding and abetting the tax evasion.
U.S. District Judge Lloyd George sentenced Joanne to four months incarceration at a Clark County halfway house, followed up by four months of house arrest, and a $5,000 fine. Her husband also received a split eight-month sentence and a $20,000 fine.
Perry was convicted of fixing horse races in New York in 1974 and conspiring to fix a 1984 basketball game.
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