Tax evasion charges often come in connection with charges of other financial crimes. In a recent Texas case, authorities alleged that an electrician submitted fraudulent invoices to overbill the Beaumont school district. Prosecutors also charged the man with failing to pay federal income taxes. The overbilling accusations were for a […]
Category: Tax Crimes
The tax system is ultimately based on trust. To be sure, the IRS is often aggressive in auditing and investigating taxpayers for failure to file taxes or for alleged errors. So are revenue agents in Texas and other states. For the most part, however, the government depends on voluntary compliance […]
The term “tax shelter” is sometimes used pejoratively to refer to improper attempts to avoid tax. Such statements fail to make the crucial distinction between tax avoidance, on the one hand, and tax evasion on the other. Tax avoidance is perfectly legal. After all, few people want to pay more […]
It isn’t only tax fraud that can result in criminal tax charges. Failure to file an income tax return at all can do so as well. From time to time, the defendants in such cases are high-profile people. A recent example is the actor Wesley Snipes, star of “White Men […]
On a national scale, the numbers on suspected tax fraud get a bit mind-boggling. Last year, the IRS said it identified about two million such cases. Is criminal tax fraud really that common? Or does the IRS use fraud detection systems that are overly sensitive? The high number of cases […]
The reasons why paying taxes can get difficult vary with each person. Such struggles can happen to anyone, and being rich or famous is no guard against them. A recent case in point is the tax troubles of the Grammy-award-winning singer Lauryn Hill. Last week, federal prosecutors charged her with […]
Words matter. In human terms, it’s as simple as that. There is a very real and clear difference between tax evasion, on the one hand, and perfectly legal tax avoidance on the other. The confusion between the terms can be cleared up with proper definitions. Tax evasion is an improper […]
As many people in Texas know, paying taxes can be confusing, especially as more and more people try to save money by doing their own taxes. There is plenty of room for errors. However, the IRS is not usually sympathetic to people they suspect of committing tax fraud. In a […]
A San Antonio executive who was accused with others of illegally collecting payroll taxes and worker’s compensation fees agreed to a plea deal earlier this month. The 49-year-old has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges; and in exchange, 27 counts of a 29-count indictment will be […]
Being convicted of criminal tax violations is no joke. These types of convictions can lead to serious jail time as well as heavy fines. Such was the case when a federal jury in Texas convicted a Delaware woman of cheating the government out of more than $3 million over a […]