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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; A Mountain Top woman has pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges, admitting she failed to pay hundreds of thousands in taxes during her time as a minority owner of a Kingston spa.</p><p>Judith Cefaly, 54, entered a guilty plea Monday on a count of failing to remit taxes, records show, admitting she failed to pay over $646,000 in payroll taxes to the IRS for the Shakti Day Spa.</p><p>Cefaly, a former minority owner of the spa, failed to pay the taxes between 2011 and 2016, prosecutors said.</p><p>After she entered her plea, U.S. District Judge James M. Munley scheduled Cefaly&#8217;s sentencing for June 17.</p><p>Cefaly is currently awaiting the completion of another case stemming from her time at the Shakti Day Spa. In February, she pleaded guilty in Luzerne County Court to using the spa&#8217;s bank card to skim more than $100,000 of the spa&#8217;s money for her own personal use.</p><p>The thefts were reported to police by the spa&#8217;s majority owner, Leon McLaughlin, in July. He confronted Cefaly about the suspected thefts in February 2018, which led to the woman surrendering her ownership and resigning from the spa.</p><p>Cefaly is scheduled to be sentenced for the state-level crimes April 5. She&#8217;s currently out on bail on both of her cases until the sentencings.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mountain Top woman pleads guilty to tax charges involving Kingston day spa