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Wife Of Former Congressman Peter Blute Charged With Filing False Tax Returns

BOSTON (CBS) - The wife of former Massachusetts Congressman Peter Blute was indicted Thursday on charges of underreporting hundreds of thousands of dollars of income on her federal tax returns.

Roberta Blute, 55, of Shrewsbury, is charged with two counts of filing false tax returns in 2007 and 2008.

She is expected in federal court in Worcester Thursday afternoon.

"The indictment alleges that Blute omitted from tax returns hundreds of thousands of dollars in income that she earned from numerous employers for tax years 2007 and 2008. Specifically, it is alleged Blute knowingly failed to report income she earned from four companies in 2007 and five companies in 2008," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

The maximum penalty for a conviction is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Peter Blute, a Republican, served two terms in Congress before he was defeated by Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat, in 1996.

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