Westlake gets prison term for tax evasion

NEWARK - A business partner of former state Sen. John A. Lynch was sentenced for tax evasion last week to three months in federal prison and seven months of home confinement with electronic monitoring, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler also fined John E. "Jack" Westlake, 76, of Red Bank, $30,000 and ordered him to surrender to the federal Bureau of Prisons by Feb. 28.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Westlake was a close business associate of Lynch and was involved in two consulting companies with the former senator.

Westlake pleaded guilty on Sept. 15, the same day that Lynch admitted accepting concealed corrupt payments. Lynch was sentenced Dec. 19 to 39 months in prison and began serving his sentence Jan. 16.

Westlake, in pleading guilty to tax evasion, admitted that for tax year 1999, he filed a tax return on behalf of himself and his wife in which he failed to include approximately $350,000 in income. As a result, he admitted that he owed the government an additional tax of approximately $75,620.

Under the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Westlake faced a sentencing range of between 10 and 16 months in prison. The government recommended at sentencing that Westlake receive a sentence within that range. Judge Chesler cited Westlake's age and medical condition in imposing sentence.