Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 4-12-16 Edition

Features
Acknowledgements Were Missed During Dedication Of Perry C. Harvey Park
From left to right: Fred Hearns, Andre White, and Shannon Bruffet at the site of the original “Bro Bowl.”
Man Gets 5 Years, Must
Re-Pay IRS $129,000
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
A descendant of Moses White, his son, Andre, traveled from Atlanta, Geor- gia last week to be a part of the dedication ceremony for Perry C. Harvey Park.
Andre White had given notice he was coming, and was told he’d be able to speak briefly to acknowledge a couple of people who were instrumental in making last Sunday happen.
“When I arrived at the park Sunday, I was prepared to speak, but was told I couldn’t. I approached Mayor Bob Buckhorn, andhetoldmehewasabusy man and didn’t have time to talk to me.
“That didn’t bother me as much as the failure to ac- knowledge two men who
without their intervention, the dedication ceremony wouldn’t have happened.”
Andre White said Shannon Bruffet and Fred Hearns were ignored for their role in making it possible for the project to be completed.
“I traveled to Tampa dur- ing the meetings Hearns had with Bruffet and his group at a local church.
“I assumed the role of me- diator between the two to settle the dispute over whether the project would move forward, or be delayed because of the historic desig- nation the Skateboard Rink had gained through Bruf- fet’s efforts.”
Andre White not only met with both men during the meeting, but later walked with them over to the site of the skateboard rink, and
along with his son, Lucky, held hands with the two men in prayer.
“We prayed together that everything would work out, and that this project would move forward. As it turned out, Bruffet and his group reached a compromise with Hearns and his group, and the project was able to move forward before the funding disappeared.
“I don’t think it’s fair that the two people most respon- sible for making this happen were just pushed aside. The three of us went to dinner to- gether, and I think our talks helped move things for- ward.”
Andre White said the bottom line is, prayers were answered. “How can you ig- nore prayer? We stood close and held hands in unity to make this happen.”
Last Thursday, a federal judge sentenced a Tampa man to more than 5 years in prison. He pleaded guilty on December 11, 2015.
U. S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sen- tenced Major Dixon, 23, of Tampa, to five years and one month in prison. He was charged with being involved in an income tax fraud scheme.
Judge Scriven also or- dered him to pay $129,505.33 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Serv- ice.
According to court docu- ments, between February 2012 and September 2012, Dixon and others filed false income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service in the names of others. Some of the names used in the scheme were deceased indi- viduals.
Dixon and his co-defen- dants claimed they were en- titled to the refunds and requested that the IRS direct the refunds to accounts they had established in their own names at various financial institutions.
In addition to Dixon, four other individuals were
MAJOR DIXON
charged and sentenced for their roles in the scheme.
Sonja Lang was sen- tenced to time served and was ordered to pay $37,158.04 in restitution; Rosea Armstrong was sentenced to 3 years of pro- bation and ordered to pay $46,641.59; Arthur Mur- ray was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $19,235.10. Lasia Maxwell will be sentenced on June 2, 2016, for her role in the crime.
In Tax Fraud Scheme
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016