Key figure in German tax scam case convicted, gets 8 years

BERLIN (AP) — A key figure in a massive German tax evasion case has been convicted of three counts of tax evasion and sentenced to eight years in prison. The state court in Bonn convicted German lawyer Hanno Berger on Tuesday in connection with alleged crimes between 2007 and 2011. The 72-year-old, a former German tax official who later became an adviser to banks, funds and investors, was arrested last year in Switzerland, where he had been since 2012. He was extradited to Germany in February. Berger was charged in connection a scheme that has spawned a series of legal cases. He was accused of helping investment bankers who swapped shares to collect multiple reimbursement for taxes they had only paid once.