Tag Archive for tax fraud

What’s In Your Wallet? Uncle Sam Wants To Know

Folks with Panamanian bank accounts may soon be getting some official-looking envelopes in the mail, as the Justice Department recently served John Doe subpoenas on FedEx, DHL, Western Union and a number of other shipping and wire transfer companies. These summonses require the targets to turn over any documents or material relating to their business with Panama-based Sovereign Management and Legal, Ltd.

With typical government bravado, Deputy AG David Hubbert warned that “the world is getting smaller for tax cheats, and we will work with our partners at the IRS to vigorously enforce the nation’s tax laws against those who seek to avoid paying their fair share.” Read More

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Guideline, Schmideline!

The battleground in the government’s ongoing war against financial criminals shifted to a Brooklyn courthouse last month, as another UBS defendant was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to concealing a foreign bank account. Prosecutors alleged that 73-year-old Gabriel Gabella, an Italian citizen, failed to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) to disclose his ownership of a Swiss bank account held at Union Bank of Switzerland in tax years 2006 and 2007.

Mr. Gabella faced a maximum 60 months in prison, and a guideline range of 24 to 30 months. However, U.S. District Judge Jack Weinstein sentenced him to three years’ probation and a $50,000 fine. In addition, Mr. Gabella paid a civil penalty of $3.1 million, which was about half the value of his account in 2007, and $239,000 in back taxes. Read More

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Is the Justification for the United States’ System of Worldwide Taxation A Hoax? – Part II

In Part I, I argued that the benefits rationale – in terms of the public benefits received by citizens – was an unpersuasive justification for the U.S.’s system of worldwide taxation.

I continue my rant in Part II, examining the practical effects of worldwide taxation on non-resident U.S. citizens. Through a labyrinth of “credits, deductions, exclusions, and non-deductibility,” the Internal Revenue Code treats similarly situated U.S. citizens who live abroad differently. How so? Such persons pay different U.S. taxes depending upon the types and amounts of the taxes imposed by the countries in which they live.

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How To Avoid Becoming The Next “Cooked Goose” Gracing The IRS’s Offshore Tax Evasion Table This Thanksgiving – Part III

III. Shorthand Formula for a Criminal Offshore Bank Account Tax Case

At the end of the day, an offshore account tax fraud case comes down to proving two key elements:

(1) A substantial tax deficiency, and

(2) Badges of fraud (i.e., acts of concealment concerning the non-reporting of the offshore bank account).

The larger the tax deficiency and the more badges of fraud it can prove, the stronger the government’s case becomes. Read More

Written by | Posted in FATCA • OVDP • Tax Fraud/Evasion/Crimes

How To Avoid Becoming The Next “Cooked Goose” Gracing The IRS’s Offshore Tax Evasion Table This Thanksgiving – Part II

II. Essential Elements of Tax Crimes

a. Willfulness

One small word is all that distinguishes a civil tax matter from a criminal tax matter. That pestilent word is called “willfulness.” It is the cornerstone to any criminal tax matter.

In the criminal setting, the government carries the heavy burden of proving – beyond a reasonable doubt – that the taxpayer acted willfully. Willfulness is defined as an “intentional violation of a known legal duty.”

i. Proving Willfulness For Purposes of the Crime of Failure to File a FBAR Read More

Written by | Posted in FATCA • OVDP • Tax Fraud/Evasion/Crimes

How To Avoid Becoming The Next “Cooked Goose” Gracing The IRS’s Offshore Tax Evasion Table This Thanksgiving – Part I

If your name was mentioned in the same sentence as Raoul Weil, Carl Zwerner, or Ty Warner, you can rest assured that you haven’t been nominated for an academy award or a Pulitzer Prize. Nor did you win the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Award. Instead, you’d have joined a disgraced group of taxpayers who have had the misfortune of being targeted by the U.S. government in their crusade to stamp out offshore tax evasion.

In stark comparison is John Doe, a conflicted taxpayer who recently entered the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). Neighbors and friends who run into John are a captive audience for him as he wallows in his self-pity. John regrets the decision to enter OVDP and tells his tale of woe to anyone who will listen: “I don’t know what I’m doing in this program. I know 500 people with foreign accounts like mine, and they’re not coming Read More

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Tax Court Affirms Net-Worth Method Used to Support Fraud Determination Against Surf Shop Owners

If you think that by keeping sloppy records, the IRS cannot determine how much income you earned – think again.

The Worth family, Donald, Marie, and their son, Frank, operated a chain of seven surf and skateboard shops across California, called White Sands. Their business was selected for audit by the IRS. In the course of the audit the IRS learned that Frank was responsible for about half of the stores and Donald and Marie operated the other half. Marie also managed the books and prepared tax returns. As manager of the heavily cash-based business, Frank had the authority to write checks on certain White Sands bank accounts, wrote checks or used cash to pay vendors for merchandise as it came in, and wrote checks to reimburse himself for business expenses he paid. Frank also supervised Read More

Written by | Posted in Income Tax • Tax Fraud/Evasion/Crimes

Chicago Lawyer with Portfolio of Celebrity Clients Indicted On Charges of Tax Fraud

Gary Stern is the latest professional to become ensnared in the coils of the criminal justice system. The once prominent lawyer who represented NFL players, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals has been charged with tax fraud. Federal prosecutors allege that Stern organized, operated, and promoted elaborate and bogus tax schemes, primarily to help his wealthy clients evade federal income taxes. For as complicated a strategy as these tax schemes might have been, they can be reduced to something so simple that even a caveman could do it: claiming millions of dollars in tax credits.

Specifically, the charges relate to preparing fraudulent tax returns and impeding the operation of the IRS. A federal indictment filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago alleges that from 2006 to 2010, Gary J. Stern, “corruptly obstructed and impeded” the IRS Read More

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L.A. Fashion District: The Most Recent Target of the U.S. Government’s Crackdown On Money Laundering And The BMPE

The Los Angeles Fashion District spans 100 blocks, with over 2,000 businesses selling fashions and accessories at 30% to 70% off retail prices.

Saturdays are the busiest Los Angeles Fashion District shopping days, when wholesale-only shops open to the general public. The Sunday shopping epicenter is Santee Alley, between Olympic and Pico Boulevards, where you’ll find low prices, lots of knock-offs and fakes.

Thanks to a recent raid of dozens of businesses in the Fashion District, rock bottom prices and a wide-selection of clothing isn’t all that the Fashion District is now known for. Law enforcement operations have revealed that money laundering activities and Read More

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Biggest Tax Fraud In History Ends In Sentencing of Ex-Lawyer To Fifteen Years In Prison

In a case dubbed “the biggest criminal tax fraud in history” by federal prosecutors, former lawyer Paul Daugardas was sentenced to 15 years in prison for helping wealthy clients dodge taxes. However, if you blinked, you might have missed it. Why? Mr. Daugedas was sentenced back on June 25, 2014, just a week after the IRS’s historic announcement that it had overhauled the voluntary disclosure program. Therefore, no matter how ground-breaking this story might have been, because it didn’t bear some relation to the major OVDP announcement, it was all but ignored by the media.

I’ve been following the Daugerdas saga ever since U.S. District Judge William Pauley threw out his earlier conviction and ordered a new trial. Right about now, you might be saying, “Wait. Back up. You’re telling me that Daugerdas had been previously convicted of Read More

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Scammers Try To Fool Tax And Business Lawyers

Most of my clients from around the world make their initial contact by email. It is usually a result of my website, blog posts (published on Tax Connections) and Avvo. Usually, they need a lawyer to negotiate a contract or deal with the IRS or State Tax agencies.

When I get an email from a foreign business, even if the English is not perfect, I respond. Unfortunately, the scam artists love a response and try their version of the famous “Nigerian Scam.” The trick usually works that I need to review a simple contract, receive payment from the buyer, deposit it in my trust account and immediately send the money (minus an unusually hefty fee) to them. Of course the check is no good and they will sucker me. Read More

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Eggshell Audit – What You Need To Know

What is an Eggshell Audit?

An eggshell audit is one in which the taxpayer has filed a fraudulent return in a prior year and the auditor is not aware of potential evidence of civil tax fraud or a criminal tax violation. A tax return is fraudulent if an additional tax is owed due to (i) a deliberate intent to evade tax or (ii) there is a willful and material submission of false statements/documents in connection with the return. It is considered an “eggshell” audit because of the care one must take – i.e. walk on eggshells – to guide the examination and prevent suspicion by the auditor.

What are the Risks of an Eggshell Audit?

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Written by | Posted in Audit • Tax Fraud/Evasion/Crimes
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