NYC Radio: Zev Brenner Avoids Jail In Tax Case

Zev Brenner

Radio personality Zev Brenner was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation and a $2,500 fine for failing to file income tax returns.

The NY Daily News reports Brenner, the Orthodox Jewish host of the show "Talkline" on WMCA 570 AM, had pleaded guilty to not filing a tax return in 2009, but he had not filed returns from 2003 to 2011, according to the government.

"I stand here humiliated and cognizant of my failing for which I take full responsibility," Brenner said in Brooklyn Federal Court.

Defense lawyer Gordon Mehler said it would be a "catastrophe" for Brenner's career if he was sent to prison. "If this radio business goes silent, like Humpty Dumpty he will never be able to put the pieces back together again," Mehler said.

The lawyer said Brenner was "overwhelmed" by handling his tax issues and left it in the hands of an accountant who screwed up by not filing the returns.

But Magistrate Judge Marilyn Go scolded Brenner for the lapses. "You are a responsible adult and you know you're supposed to file tax returns every year," Go said.