Corona Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

A former real estate broker from Corona pleaded guilty Monday in San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga to state tax evasion, agreeing to pay $83,802.18 for taxes, penalties, interest and court costs.

Robert L. Klesath failed to pay state taxes from 1997 to 2001, Deputy Dist. Atty. Charles Feibush said. Klesath faced a two-year prison sentence, which will be suspended if he completes the terms of his plea bargain. Terms include payment in full by the end of his five-year probation.

Feibush said Klesath told prosecutors he was a tax protester who didn’t believe he had to pay taxes. Klesath, who also worked as a mortgage loan officer, earned $304,000 a year when he was arrested in June 2002.