Attorney pleads guilty to tax evasion, hiding assets

A West Sacramento attorney pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Sacramento to tax evasion. According to prosecutors, James Stewart Richards, 69, owed federal income taxes between 1994 and 2003 totaling $170,000. He did not pay taxes, and then he evaded payment. He filed compromise offers with the Internal Revenue Service in which he omitted bank accounts and six rental properties. Court papers say Richards asked his bank to not disclose information to the IRS, and he attempted to conceal…