Jim Thorpe sentenced to a year in prison over tax charges

I

n the end, the tax man proved a more difficult opponent than any Jim Thorpe ever faced on the golf course.

The Champions Tour golfer was sentenced on Friday to a year in prison for failing to pay more than $2 million in back income taxes.

Thorpe, who has 13 victories on the Champions Tour and three on the PGA Tour, pleaded guilty to two counts of failure to pay taxes on income earned in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He had faced up to two years in prison and a fine of $4.1 million. He had tried to argue that he had not willfully tried to evade paying the taxes, but did not argue that he owed the money.

Thorpe, 60, must surrender to prison by April 1. Following his release, he'll be on two years of supervised release and must complete 200 hours of community service. He will be expected to pay back the taxes during his supervised release.

Thorpe's attorney, Mark Horwitz, indicated that Thorpe has made his peace, "has accepted his punishment and will be getting on with his life."

Golfer Jim Thorpe sentenced to 1-year prison term [AP via Yahoo!]