LOS ANGELES – Norman Whitfield (search), who co-wrote R&B classics such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," pleaded guilty to failing to report more than $2 million in royalty income, authorities said.
The plea, entered Tuesday, was part of a deal with the government that requires him to file delinquent tax returns, Gary Tang, a spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service (search), said Wednesday.
Whitfield, 64, was scheduled to be sentenced April 18.
He admitted to failing to file tax returns on about $600,000 a year between 1995 and 1999, costing the government $955,000 in tax revenue, Tang said.
Whitfield also has worked as a producer for the Temptations (search) and others. His other hits include "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "War."
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