Rev. Moon found guilty of income-tax evasion

A jury found the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, founder of the controversial Unification Church, guilty of a conspiracy to evade US taxes. The Korean-born leader was found guilty of failure to pay tax on interest earned by $1.5 million deposited in his name in US bank accounts between 1973 and 1975. His chief aide, Takeru Kamiyama, was also found guilty.

Defense attorneys had argued that the Rev. Mr. Moon did not have to pay taxes on $150,000 in interest the bank accounts earned because the money actually belonged to the church and was tax-exempt.

The two defendants, who were expected to appeal the verdict, face maximum prison sentences of five years on conspiracy charges and three years for tax evasion.