Originally published Friday, October 3, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Auto Racing | Ex-Indy winner charged with tax evasion

Helio Castroneves, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and TV "Dancing With The Stars" champion, was indicted Thursday on tax-evasion and...

By The Associated Press

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Helio Castroneves has won two Indianapolis 500s.

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MIAMI — Helio Castroneves, the two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and TV "Dancing With The Stars" champion, was indicted Thursday on tax-evasion and tax-fraud charges, accused of using offshore accounts to hide millions of dollars in income from the Internal Revenue Service.

The 33-year-old driver is charged with conspiracy and six counts of tax evasion for purportedly failing to report to the IRS about $5.5 million in income between 1999 and 2004, according to court documents. Each count carries a maximum five-year prison sentence.

Also facing charges are Katiucia Castroneves, the driver's sister and business manager, and attorney Alan R. Miller of Birmingham, Mich. All three are scheduled to make court appearances today and it wasn't immediately clear if they had hired defense lawyers. None were under arrest Thursday.

"This case sends a clear message that the IRS is committed to vigorously enforcing the tax laws and stopping offshore tax evasion," IRS commissioner Doug Shulman said.

Castroneves, a native of São Paulo, Brazil, has won the Indianapolis 500 twice and finished second this year in the IndyCar Series points standings. He and partner Julianne Hough won the 2007 "Dancing With The Stars" TV reality show competition on ABC.

The indictment charges that Castroneves illegally concealed income from Penske Racing Inc. and the Brazilian firm Coimex International S.A. Neither company is charged with any wrongdoing.

Miami-Dade County records show that Castroneves, who is single, lives in a six-bedroom, six-bath home in Coral Gables valued at about $2.3 million

Working telephone numbers for Castroneves and his sister could not be located.

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