The Signature Tax

A Hall of Fame first baseman, long retired, earned extra money signing autographs at sports memorabilia shows, where promoters often paid in cash. Federal investigators in Brooklyn found he had not reported tens of thousands of dollars of that cash. In 1989 alone, a year he earned about $87,000, roughly $41,800 of his memorabilia income was left off his return, and the total for 1988 to 1990 was about $69,800. He told the judge it was overlooked at the time and that he accepted responsibility.