Briefly in the news

Huntington Beach man killed in Costa Mesa automobile crashA single-car crash early Monday in Costa Mesa killed Huntington Beach resident Andrew Pearson, 44, police said. Pearson was driving a 1999 Lexus RX 300 east on Victoria Street at Pomona Avenue at 1:26 a.m. when he apparently lost control and struck a traffic signal pole.

The crash caused major front-end damage to the car and injured Pearson, who died at the scene. Costa Mesa police are still investigating the accident. Anyone with information should call Investigator Carlos Diaz at (714) 754-5264.

Business owner pleads guilty to tax evasion, filing false returnsHuntington Beach resident George “Nick” Jesson Jr., owner of three local electronics companies, pleaded guilty to three counts of tax evasion and filing false tax returns Monday in Santa Ana.

Jesson was sentenced to three years in state prison by Judge Francisco Briseño. Jesson’s wife, Trina Jesson, 42, was arrested at the same time on four counts of tax evasion is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing Aug. 11.

Jesson and his wife were arrested in September 2003 on charges of neglecting to report almost $3 million in income in state tax returns for the years of 1997 through 1999. He also falsely filed returns reporting zero income and zero tax due.

Jesson owed the state more than $500,000 in delinquent income taxes, penalties and cost of investigation, officials said.

The owner of CD Electronics, Capacitor Specialists International and No Time Delay Electronics, Inc., all in Huntington Beach, had in the past been photographed in paid advertisements for “We the People for Constitutional Education,” a tax protester group.

The organization argues that currency is not money since the United States abandoned the gold standard, and, therefore, wages are not income, making taxes on wages unconstitutional.