A Medford man will be sentenced in March for filing false documents with the Internal Revenue Service to harass adversaries, including tax collectors and a Medford police officer.

A federal jury Tuesday convicted Kenneth Eugene Bozarth, 61, of four counts of filing a false tax document under penalty of perjury, said a spokeswoman for U.S. District Court in Medford. Bozarth's sentencing is scheduled for March 13. He faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each conviction.

Bozarth is a member of a conservative citizens group, Oregon Citizens Alliance.

Intending to retaliate against adversaries, Bozarth in 1999 and 2000 falsely reported that he transferred $2 million in currency to Medford police officer Nathan Banry, California tax collector Emma Rock, Medford Safeway employee Rick Deates and IRS employee Dennis Parizek. Bozarth filed fraudulent IRS forms 8300 — used to report cash payments over $10,000 — on each victim's behalf, sparking an IRS investigation.

Rock, head of the Santa Clara County tax collector's office, had attempted in 1987 to collect an unpaid fine from Bozarth, who also "caused her and her staff to fear for their safety," according to prosecutors' trial memorandum. In November 1999, Bozarth signed and filed an IRS form 8300, stating he had paid Rock $2 million.

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Bozarth also fraudulently filed the form in retaliation against Banry, almost six years after the officer had contact with him in the course of duty. Four months after Deates, a supervisor at a Medford Safeway store, declined to cash two government checks for Bozarth, the older man reported a $2 million currency payment to the grocery store employee.

Bozarth also instigated an IRS investigation of one of their own employees — Parizek, who received a letter from Bozarth in 2000 challenging the authority of the IRS to collect income tax. Two months after Parizek wrote back, informing Bozarth that his arguments previously had been rejected in court, Bozarth reported he transferred $2 million in currency to Parizek.

Bozarth admitted to IRS investigators that he prepared the forms and said his purpose was to "hold people accountable for not adjusting the account," according to prosecutors' trial memorandum. Bozarth was arrested Aug. 11, 2005. A 12-person jury found Bozarth guilty Tuesday evening after a one-day trial in District Court before Senior District Judge Owen M. Panner, a court spokeswoman said.

Bozarth in 1993 led a petition to recall state Rep. John Watt, of Medford. Pushing several anti-gay ballot measures, the OCA that year also sought to recall most of Medford's City Council for supporting a state law that would have banned discrimination against gays.

Bozarth was barred by court injunction in 1994 from collecting signatures at The Rogue Valley Mall for proposed ballot measures on issues ranging from mandatory prison sentences to hourly wages.

Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.