A Big Island architect convicted of tax evasion was sentenced yesterday to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution and prosecution costs.

Hamlet C. Bennett, 69, of Holualoa was convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy and five counts of income tax evasion for the years 1999 through 2003. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway ordered Bennett to pay $1,368,593 to the Internal Revenue Service and $35,330 in prosecution costs.

Edward Kubo Jr., U.S. attorney for Hawai'i, said prosecutors presented evidence that Bennett conspired with others, including convicted tax offender Royal Lamar Hardy, to impede the function of IRS by establishing a domestic trust to hide his income. He also "brought a frivolous lawsuit against the IRS and continued to send frivolous mailings to the IRS that were based on materials provided by Hardy," Kubo said in a news release today.