Seven customers of banking giant UBS have been charged with conspiracy and criminal tax offenses. They're accused of concealing their Swiss-based assets and the income earned on those assets from the Internal Revenue Service.
      The charges were contained in five indictments released Thursday in federal court in Manhattan.
      Two of the defendants have agreed to waive indictment. That step usually precedes a guilty plea.
      Prosecutors say four defendants removed their assets shortly after it was revealed in May 2008 that a criminal probe of UBS might cause disclosure of their unreported accounts to the Justice Department.