DENVER —  Douglas Bruce submitted to Denver District Court on Friday, quietly had his hands cuffed, and was led out of the courtroom into a side room, on his way to a 180-day jail sentence.

Wearing tennis shoes, jeans, and a casual plaid shirt, Bruce said he was ready to do his time in Denver County Jail.

“They can put me anywhere they want, for as long as they want,” he said. “They want to put me in a cell. What is that going to accomplish?”

Click here for a complete history of Douglas Bruce.

Bruce was convicted in December of tax evasion, failing to file a tax return, filing a false tax return, and attempting to influence a public official. He could have been sentenced to 12 years in jail and a $700,000 fine, but Judge Anne Mansfield gave him six years of probation, along with the jail sentence. He was not fined.

Before he was taken away, Bruce did get in one last jab at the court, saying he wanted to make sure his attorney, David Lane, had received a copy of the sentencing order. Judge Mansfield said one had been faxed to Lane.

Bruce maintained his innocence, and predicted victory upon appeal. Lane said that though he had filed for a hearing to stay Bruce’s current jail term, he didn’t expect to win that fight. He also predicted that the appeals process would take around a year.

Though Bruce represented himself throughout his trial, he hired Lane afterward, and Lane appeared with Bruce at his sentencing Monday. He said on Friday that Bruce came to him after the trial, but declined to talk about why Bruce had decided to retain an attorney.

Bruce also claimed Friday that he had been treated unfairly by the media, and that the whole truth about his trial had not been reported. He said, as he had multiple times in the past, that the Internal Revenue Service had cleared him of any wrongdoing in a 2010 letter.

But the letter, provided to The Gazette by Bruce, said only that the IRS had accepted some changes made to his 2005 federal tax return, and did not specify that he had been audited and cleared of possible wrongdoing.

Below is a recap of tweets from The Gazette’s John Schroyer as Bruce reported for jail.

Surrounded by media Douglas Bruce, convicted of tax evasion, reports to begin serving his 180 day jail sentence., Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at Denver District Courthouse. Anti-tax crusader Bruce reported to jail Friday morning after he was convicted on charges of evading state taxes. Prosecutors say he hid millions of dollars in a sham charity that he set up to avoid taxes. The judge ordered Bruce to pay nearly $50,000 in restitution and court costs. He also is being required to share personal financial information with the government, including his checking accounts and investments. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, RJ Sangosti ) Photo by

RJ Sangosti

Douglas Bruce, convicted of tax evasion, hands a roll of quarters to a security guard as he enters the Denver District Courthouse to begin serving his 180 day jail sentence., Friday, Feb. 17, 2012. Prosecutors say he hid millions of dollars in a sham char Photo by RJ SANGOSTI, THE DENVER POST

Douglas Bruce, convicted of tax evasion, reports to begin serving his 180 day jail sentence., Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, at Denver District Courthouse. Prosecutors say he hid millions of dollars in a sham charity that he set up to avoid taxes. The judge orde Photo by

RJ Sangosti