Rangel Pays Back Tax on Dominican Republic Villa

Representative Charles B. Rangel has delivered six checks, totaling $10,800, to New York State and to the I.R.S. to pay the back taxes he owes from rental income on his Dominican villa, his legal team announced on Friday.

Mr. Rangel acknowledged this month that he had failed to declare $75,000 in rental income from his beachfront villa on both his tax returns and financial disclosure forms. Mr. Rangel’s lawyers said he owed back taxes for at least three years and had hired a forensic accounting firm to review his records dating back 20 years to search for additional omissions.

While that review is under way, and the House ethics committee is weighing Mr. Rangel’s request that it investigate the matter, the congressman sent checks on Thursday for his unpaid taxes in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Read more: (David Kocieniewski, “Congressman Pays Back Tax on Dominican Republic Villa,” The New York Times, 9/20/08)