The Offer in Compromise started as an IRS program after tax-collection agents learned a hard lesson: The strong arm isn’t always the most effective one.
After years and years of beating on doors in an effort to chase down those who owe back taxes, the IRS realized that, in some situations, a gentler approach can be more effective.
Enter the Offer in Compromise.
If you think you might benefit
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Following an IRS criminal investigation, a federal grand jury indicted Fawzi Mahmoud Swalim, a former resident of San Francisco, with filing false tax returns from 2000 to 2002. According to the indictment, Swalim, 53, is alleged to have filed false tax returns from 2000 to 2002, which underreported gross receipts of his retail grocery business. He faces up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Connecticut cosmetic surgeon Teresita Mascardo, 59, was sentenced to five years of probation, the first four months of which she must spend confined to her home with electronic monitoring. Mascardo pleaded guilty to one count of making and subscribing a false income tax return. Mascardo skimmed income from her company, resulting in a total tax deficiency of $17,206 tax loss for the year 2000.

Robert N. Shearburn Sr., 66, of Washougal, Wash., and formerly of Glendale, Ariz., was sentenced to 12 months in prison after pleading to Making and Subscribing to Materially False Tax Return.Shearburn admitted he had signed and filed a tax return for the year 2000 that he knew contained materially false information. He admitted that when he filed the 2000 tax return, he knew that his income and tax due and
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The former owner of a Valencia, Calif., company pleaded guilty to conspiring with the owner of the Oxnard-based Haas Automation Inc., who allegedly engineered a $20 million tax fraud scheme.Robert Gene Cable, 75, the former owner of Enmark Aerospace, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to impede, impair, obstruct and defeat the lawful functions of the IRS. Cable admitted that he conspired with Gene Haas and others employed at
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A husband and wife who reside in Remlap, Ala., have each pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.As a part of the plea, Robert Woods, 58, admitted to evading federal income taxes for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. Shannon Woods, 42, admitted to evading federal income taxes for the years 2001 and 2002. To perpetuate the scheme from 2000 to 2002, the couple filed tax returns with the
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James Estrella, a former San Diego Police Department officer, was sentenced to serve 21 months in home confinement after the former lawman was convicted of attempted tax evasion. He was also ordered to pay $220,000 in restitution to the IRS.Estrella failed to file income tax returns for the calendar years 2001 through 2003 and failed to pay federal income taxes totaling more than $63,000 for those three years. Estrella also
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The president of California-based Allied Telecom was indicted on two counts of evading her federal income taxes for the years 2000 and 2001.The 39-year-old Diana Hojsak — aka Diana Lu or Jing Jing Lu — was also charged with two counts of filing false federal income tax returns for her wholly owned corporation, Allied Telecom International Inc.
Hojsak is charged with diverting commission payments payable to Allied Telecom to her personal
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The chief executive of a California startup company pleaded guilty to tax evasion after not reporting more than $1.1 million in income.John Frances Griffin, 44, of Orinda, Calif., was charged with 15 counts of mail fraud, two counts of tax evasion and one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme in which he allegedly lied to investors and employees about making significant loans to the company he was
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