HAMMOND | From the executive director on down to the janitor, everyone associated with the Gary Urban Enterprise Association who was indicted for financial crimes thus far has been convicted.

Lawrence Meeks, 55, of Gary, pleaded guilty Tuesday in a surprise hearing in Hammond federal court to five counts of failing to report income he received from the GUEA for janitorial jobs.

His was the ninth GUEA conviction since the scandal broke in December 2004.

His daughter, Jojuana Meeks, the former executive director of the organization, admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization with the help of the former fiscal manager, Charmaine Pratchett, and the two board members who signed all the checks, Johnnie Wright and Derrick Earls.

Jojuana Meeks, Earls, Pratchett and Wright all admitted embezzling from the group and are in prison. And Pratchett's longtime boyfriend, Gregory Hill, is headed to prison for not reporting income he received for mowing GUEA lawns.

Lawrence Meeks' admission of guilt came about in anti-climatic fashion Tuesday, one day after U.S. District Judge James Moody refused to accept Meeks' first attempt to plead guilty. He had attempted to plead without admitting full guilt.

On Tuesday, in a hearing that was not announced beforehand, Meeks convinced Moody that he was now admitting that his income between 2000 and 2004 was "substantially" greater than what he reported on his tax forms in those years and that he willfully evaded taxes.

U.S. Attorney David Capp declined to comment on the case until after Lawrence Meeks is sentenced later this year. Defense attorney Matthew Soliday did not return a call for comment.