DENVER – The Colorado Court of Appeals refused to overturn the 2012 conviction of Douglas Bruce for tax evasion, ruling against several claims that the case to be thrown out.

Bruce, the Colorado Springs politician and anti-tax crusader, said he was not surprised by the ruling released Thursday by a panel of three state appeals judges.

“I didn’t have any high expectation for Colorado judges – all appointed by liberal Colorado governors – to be fair and honest,” Bruce said. “They don’t enforce the TABOR amendment. Why should they be fair to the author of TABOR.”

Bruce said he will file a petition for his case to be heard by the state Supreme Court, but he suspects, as “public enemy No. 1,” he’ll have to take this to federal court to get a fair trial.

He said federal judges’ salaries are not “influenced by TABOR revenue.”

The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is a voter-approved constitutional amendment that Bruce helped pass in 1992. It’s widely disliked by many politicians because it caps government revenue and requires voter approval for tax increases. Bruce and those in favor of limiting the size and growth of government have defended the measure in and out of court.

Bruce was convicted of three felonies in Denver District Court: tax evasion, filing a false tax return, and attempting to influence a public servant. It stemmed from accusations that Bruce used a charity to hide his income and lied about it to the Department of Revenue. Bruce has maintained his innocence.

He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and six years probation. He appealed immediately but said Friday his lawyer failed to file an opening brief for almost two years delaying his case. He acquired a different lawyer.

Bruce now faces prison time for accusations he violated the terms of his probation.

At a hearing last week, Bruce’s probation officers testified he had failed to notify them of several financial contracts and also failed to provide them with copies of his tax returns and a requested financial disclosure form.

Bruce, who defended himself, argued the terms of his probation were unclear and he didn’t violate them.

The hearing was continued to Aug. 31.

If found guilty of violating his probation, Bruce faces up to six years in prison for the Class 4 felony he was convicted of and up to three years in prison for the two Class 5 felonies, said a spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s Office.

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Contact Megan Schrader: 286-0644

Twitter: @CapitolSchrader

The Colorado Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld the convictions for tax evasion and other charges that sent anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce to jail for six months in 2012. (Denver Post file)