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Initiative activist Bill Sizemore pleads guilty to tax evasion

Bill Sizemore leaves court in December 2009 after being indicted on felony tax evasion charges.
Chris Lehman
Bill Sizemore leaves court in December 2009 after being indicted on felony tax evasion charges.

SALEM, Ore. - Conservative Oregon initiative activist Bill Sizemore will serve 30 days in jail. The former Republican nominee for governor pled guilty Thursday to three counts of tax evasion.

Bill Sizemore was best known for his anti-tax initiatives. Now, it's a failure to file his state taxes over the course of three years that's sending him to jail.

He was set to go on trial next week. As part of the plea deal, Sizemore will serve 30 days in the Marion County jail. That's followed by three years of supervised probation, plus 100 hours of community service.

Sizemore also has to repay the state for the cost of his court-appointed attorney. And he has four months to file those missing tax returns.

In addition to being a prolific initiative activist, Sizemore won the 1998 Republican nomination for Oregon governor. He ran for governor again last year but earned just seven percent of the votes in the GOP primary.

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