Local News

Castroneves Allowed To Travel To Australia

He Was Indicted Last Week On Tax Evasion and Conspiracy Charges

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Race car driver and "Dancing With The Stars" winner Helio Castroneves received permission from a Miami judge to compete in a race in Australia later this month.

Castroneves, 33, had previously been prevented by the court order from leaving the country. He was indicted last week on federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges and is free on $10 million bail. Prosecutors say Castroneves used offshore accounts to hide millions of dollars in income from the Internal Revenue Service.

The Indy-car driver pleaded innocent and claimed that he relied on advice from tax experts for his financial dealings.

Castroneves, a native of Brazil who lives in a $2.3 million Coral Gables mansion, is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and finished second this year in the IndyCar Series points standings. He and partner Julianne Hough won the 2007 "Dancing With The Stars" television reality show competition.

Castroneves recently signed on with "Entertainment Tonight" to be a correspondent for some episodes of this year's "Dancing With The Stars" show. He did a similar stint last year.

He has raced for Team Penske since 2000, capturing Indy 500 victories in 2000 and 2001, becoming the youngest driver, 27, to win the famous race twice. Castroneves has recorded a total of 18 victories and 43 top-three finishes, according to Penske's Web site.

(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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