The Paradise Papers, like the Panama Papers before them, were released in an effort to bring attention to the use of offshore accounts. As noted in previous posts, these accounts are not illegal. Issues arise if the account holder is making use of the account in an attempt to hide assets […]
Category: Tax Crimes
Fraudulent business tax returns can come with prison time. That is the message the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is trying to send with two recent cases. The federal agency recently sentenced three different individuals to imprisonment for errors on their corporate tax returns. How did corporate tax errors lead to […]
The United States House of Representatives recently voted to approve a proposal that would make it more difficult for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to seize assets in structuring cases. The law is designed to revise the authority of the IRS to seize property “that has been structured to avoid […]
Falling behind or running into other trouble with keeping track of employment taxes and paying them over to the government is a problem for many employers. A new report from the watchdog agency for the IRS contains detailed information about the scope of the problem. In this post, we will […]
A tax return preparer is any individual who accepts payment for preparing “all or a substantial portion of a tax return or claim for refund under … the Internal Revenue Code.” Making a little more income over tax season by preparing returns for family and friends could put you into […]
“It is better to give than to receive,” the old saying goes. Philosophers such as Peter Singer are exploring the deeper aspects of this statement, probing the sense in which giving is a key act of moral agency. There are, however, also plenty of fraudsters and scammers who take advantage […]
We regularly represent taxpayers, businesses and tax preparers in Texas and beyond facing potential tax-related criminal investigation or charges by the IRS Criminal Investigation division. This week, the IRS announced in a news release that it had released its fiscal year 2016 annual report of Criminal Investigation activities. Criminal defense […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is cracking down on fraudulent tax preparer services. The federal agency initiated 252 investigations in 2016 alone, searching out any individual or business that it believes was conducting fraudulent practices while preparing taxes. 72.8 percent of these investigations resulted in incarceration. Although these efforts are […]
Tax law is complex. Only a handful of people fully understand it and taxes are often controversial. While they pay for various services, who pays and how much are tricky policy questions. Tax laws, like any laws are violated for various reasons. Sometimes, the violations are motivated by greed, but […]
Legendary crime boss and Mafioso Al Capone learned the hard way that the tax man always cometh. Even “Scarface” himself wasn’t immune to the eventualities of life: death and taxes. Despite being a known gangster and bootlegger, openly running illegal gambling operations and brothels, extorting countless and being responsible for […]