Charter school founder
indicted for tax evasion
A federal grand jury in Scranton on Tuesday indicted the founder of Pocono Mountain Charter School and pastor of Shawnee Tabernacle Church in Tobyhanna on one count of tax evasion and one count of filing a false tax return.
Dennis Bloom, 58, of Mount Pocono, failed to report a substantial amount of income above the $93,227 he reported on his federal income taxes in 2006, according to the indictment.
It did not specify how much money the former chief executive officer of the charter school failed to report. The charges carry a maximum eight-year term in federal prison.
"Be assured that we are serious about investigating these crimes and we will vigorously pursue criminals who steal from the American taxpayer," said Akeia Conner, special agent in charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation Philadelphia Field Office, in a statement.
A woman who answered the phone at the school on Tuesday said Mr. Bloom no longer works there. She declined to answer further questions and said no one was available to take questions.
Efforts to reach Mr. Bloom were unsuccessful.
According to a state Auditor General's report in 2012, Mr. Bloom also funneled $3 million in taxpayer education dollars to the church where he was a pastor.
The charter school was created by the Shawnee Tabernacle Church.
The auditor general's office sent the audit to the state Ethics Commission and Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine Jr. for review after "questionable financial transactions" were apparently uncovered.
Mr. Christine's office declined to comment on the status of the review when questioned Tuesday.
Rob Caruso, ethics commission acting executive director, said he could not confirm or deny it was investigating Mr. Bloom.
The attorney for the charter school has said the major findings of the audit were unfounded and "nothing new."
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