No criminal charges will be filed against the Rev. Al Shapton over a decades's worth of delinquent tax bills, his lawyers said. Federal prosecutors called off their investigation after Sharpton made a down payment of $1 million on his tax debt. Sharpton said he was glad the ordeal was over. "I thank God, I thank the lawyers," he told JET Magazine in a recent interview. "The real testimony is they said there was no crime. There was no criminal activity. We feel exonerated." Sharpton had been investigated for possible tax fraud and campaign violations stemming from his 2004 U.S. presidential bid. The IRS and New York state and city tax agencies claim that Sharpton and his organization, the National Action Network, collectively owe millions of dollars in back penalties. The exact amount Sharpton owes has not been determined. "When we get the final figures, we will work out a payment plan and will go on from there," he said. Several black business leaders helped raise the $1 million down payment, Sharpton said. "We had money in reserve, we knew we had to pay something. But I want to thank the supporters of the National Action Network who never wavered and never stopped their support."
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