An Alabama man was indicted for his part in a scheme to collect millions of dollars from the Internal Revenue Service using false tax returns.
Douglas Ervin Dent, 66, of Birmingham, Alabama, allegedly filed 20 false income tax returns in his own name and on behalf of others between April 2008 and October 2009. Dent knew that he and the other taxpayers were not entitled to the $6.2 million in refunds
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A husband and wife from Greer, South Carolina, were sentenced for filing false tax returns. Julie Greene Tucker, 52, received 33 months in prison and her husband, James Dean Tucker, 54, received eight months of house arrest and five years of probation. The Tuckers were ordered to pay $191,049 restitution to IRS. Julie Tucker embezzled from her employer and did not report the money as income.

Tax evasion is not just a problem for the wealthy. It’s a widespread issue that costs the government and honest Americans much needed revenues. Small businesses and sole proprietors are the largest contributors to the $450 billion tax gap (the difference between taxes reported and taxes paid) by skimming and under reporting their taxes. For their efforts, tax cheats are the focus of IRS scrutiny.
With IRS audits and aggressive IRS
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A Louisiana lawyer pleaded guilty to making false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the Internal Revenue Service in an attempt to receive more than $9.7 million in tax refunds.
According to court records, Francis C. Broussard, 53, of West Monroe, Louisiana, had his accountant prepare his 2005 through 2007 tax returns — but Broussard never filed them.
In 2009, Broussard went to a different tax preparer to have his personal tax returns
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Actor Stephen Baldwin pleaded guilty to failure to file income taxes for three years and will pay $300,000 in back taxes to the government.
Baldwin, the youngest of the Baldwin brothers and best known for his roles in The Usual Suspects and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, was arrested in December on charges that could have resulted in a prison sentence of up to four years.
According to Balwin’s attorney, if
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Apparently, Lauryn Hill’s “Miseducation” may relate to how badly she handled her IRS tax problems. According to Accounting Today’s article titled: Fugees Singer Lauryn Hill Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion, Hill was sentenced Monday to three months in prison plus three months home confinement for failing to file tax returns for five years and not reporting more than $2.3 million in income. The article explains the terms of her
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I recently wrote a post for the Tax Matters blog about a newly released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report showing IRS budget cuts forcing the furlough of 100,000 employees therefore reducing the ability to audit taxpayers at the same rate. A Huffington Post article titled: “Offshore Tax Havens: Sequestration Damages IRS Battle with Tax Evasion“ provides additional GAO report information shining a light on how the sequester/IRS budget cuts will
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Government investigators reported that the Internal Revenue Service has recouped more than $5.5 billion for the voluntary disclosure programs. NPR sites an Associated Press article titled: Tax Cheats Pony Up $5.5 Billion in Amnesty Program highlights a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that shows how through these programs the IRS was able to get people to come forward to report their offshore bank accounts and assets in exchange for reduced
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The owner of a New Jersey meat distribution company pleaded guilty to evading taxes on income diverted from his companies for personal use.
Nicholas Papanier Sr., 57, of Sewell, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.
According to court documents, between 2006 and 2009, Papanier owned Nellie’s Provisions, a meat distribution company that provided meat for Primo Hoagies franchises and other independent restaurants.
In 2006, 2007 and 2008, Papanier persuaded
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A Maryland businessman was sentenced to prison for evading more than $500,000 in federal and state taxes.
Bae Soo “Chris” Chon, 49, of Beltsville, Maryland, received one year and a day in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for the income tax evasion charge. He also must pay a $15,000 fine and restitution of $412,404 to the IRS and $110,245.70 to Maryland.
According to his plea agreement, Chon
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A Louisiana couple who ran a used car lot pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.
Norman Ducre, 41, and Jami Ducre, 44, of Slidell, Louisiana, owned and operated J & J Auto Brokers. Norman Ducre was responsible for sales and inventory acquisition and management, while Jami Ducre was responsible for the bookkeeping of the business.
In her plea, Ducre admitted to providing false and fraudulent monthly income and expense statements
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Tony Nghia Nguyen, the owner of a Minnesota company that provided general household services to clients, received five years of probation and 30 days of home detention for failing to pay to the IRS $287,000 in employee withholdings. Nguyen, who pleaded guilty to the charge, admitted that he failed to pay the money withheld from employees from July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007.

The owner of movie theaters in Michigan will spend a year in prison after attempting to evade nearly $1 million in taxes.
Elaine Dawson, 69, of Bellaire, Michigan, pleaded guilty to the tax evasion charge. She was also ordered to pay restitution of $988,366 to IRS.
According to court records, Dawson willfully evaded nearly $1 million in corporate and personal income taxes between 2004 and 2010. Dawson owned five cinemas in Michigan and
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A Michigan businessman pleaded guilty to obstructing the IRS after evading payment and falsifying quarterly tax returns, resulting in a tax loss of more than $250,000.
George Adatsi, 49, of Lansing, Michigan, owned two companies, Health Staffers Inc. and Health Staffers of Michigan Inc., which employed nurses and home health aides who provided health care services in private homes and nursing homes.
Adatsi admitted that he did not forward to the IRS
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I came across an interesting Fiscal Times article titled: “High Income, No Taxes: How Big Money Beats the IRS“. The article highlights an IRS report written by economist Justin Bryan that provides comprehensive data on the number of taxpayers who make more than $200,000 and pay zero income taxes.
The report contains detailed data and summary data for the period 1977 to 2008 as well as charts and graphs of almost 4
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