Feds Drop Last Charge Against Castroneves

Helio Castroneves

Prosecutors Friday dropped the only unresolved criminal charge against Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, one month after a Miami federal jury deadlocked on the count and acquitted him of six tax-evasion charges.

For the Brazilian race car star, acquitted in April of evading taxes on $5.5 million, it was a final legal victory just before he enters Sunday's Indy 500 race in the lead pole position.

Prosecutors could have retried Castroneves, who owns a Coral Gables mansion, and his sister, Katiucia, the driver's business manager, on the deadlocked conspiracy count, claiming they tried to defraud the government by hiding his racing income. But their defense attorneys would have tied up any retrial with appeals, countering that such a prosecution would have amounted to double jeopardy because of the tax-evasion acquittals.

Castroneves' lawyers said it was ''right'' for the government to drop the one remaining charge accusing Penske's top IndyCar race driver of plotting with his sister and his sports lawyer, Alan R. Miller, to conceal his income between 1999 and 2004.

''We are very happy for Helio,'' attorney Roy Black said in a statement. “The jury finds him not guilty, then he wins the pole position at Indy, and now the government drops the case completely. All he has to do now is win the race and climb the fence.'' More at Miami Herald