John Goggins, a former general counsel for Moody’s Corp., has admitted to willfully failing to file federal income tax returns on his more than $54 million income he received over four years.

Goggins, 63, who retired in September after serving as legal chief of the New York-based ratings agency since 2000, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Newark, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger said in a news release Friday.