The director’s cut: A Baton Rouge movie maker has admitted in a federal courtroom that he falsified invoices to receive Louisiana’s film tax credits. U.S. Attorney Walt Green says in a news release that 46-year-old George Kostuch pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud that accused him of penning checks for nearly $540,000 in false expenses, which led to his company—K2 Pictures—receiving more than $161,000 in tax credits from the state in 2010 and 2011. The Associated Press reports U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick has not set a sentencing date for Kostuch, instead ordering a presentence investigation and report. The film tax credit program has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, both for the ballooning cost and a smattering of criminal cases accusing participants of defrauding the state.
On the clock: The deadline for filing 2014 Louisiana individual income tax returns is Friday. Taxpayers needing more time to prepare their returns must submit an extension request by the filing deadline to avoid late-filing penalties. The Louisiana Department of Revenue recommends electronic filing for taxpayers for the fastest, most error-free tax return and refund processing. The average refund processing time for returns filed electronically is up to 21 business days. For paper returns, taxpayers should expect to wait eight to 10 weeks.
Capitol ideas: After nearly a year of high-profile public feuds over the Common Core education standards, the debate is scheduled to shift to a House Education Committee hearing today. That’s the first stop for bills that seek to pull the multistate standards adopted by more than 40 states from Louisiana’s public school classrooms. Gov. Bobby Jindal supports the anti-Common Core effort, but the bills still are considered a long-shot for passage. Plus, lawmakers, state education leaders and the Jindal administration were trying to reach a compromise that could stop the divisive debate entirely. Closed-door negotiations have gone on for weeks. In prior years, lawmakers have refused to shelve Common Core. Superintendent of Education John White and the state education board support the standards.
