By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Testimony continued Tuesday in the corporate fraud trial of former HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy. Former HealthSouth CFO Bill Owens told a federal jury that he did not file federal tax returns for nine year. He says he also paid cash for more than $3 million worth of property and ran up a $700,000 tax bill while helping engineer what prosecutors call a multi-billion dollar overstatement of earnings. After paying almost $5 million of withheld taxes, Owens still owes about $400,000 in interest and penalties. Meanwhile, Scrushy defense attorney Jim Parkman says Owens orchestrated the fraud at HealthSouth and manipulated workers at the company. He is among 15 former company executives who have pleaded guilty in the fraud scheme.