Posts Tagged ‘tax fraud’

The IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program is Over for Those Hiding Money Overseas - Reducing IRS Penalties is Still Possible with Help from a Tax Professional

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

The IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program ended on October 15th.  For U.S. taxpayers who have been hiding money in Zurich, expect indictments and harsh prison sentences from the IRS.

By Michael Rozbruch, Certified Tax Resolution Specialist
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For the more than 4,450 U.S. taxpayers who have bank accounts in Switzerland and haven’t told Uncle Sam, time’s up.
In an unprecedented settlement with the Swiss government and Swiss bank UBS, the Department of Justice and Internal Revenue
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Filing False Federal Tax Returns Gets Miami Woman $100K from IRS and is Not The Recommended Way to Get a Tax Refund from the IRS

Monday, October 12th, 2009

Tax fraud is committed every day.  One criminal act that seems particularly popular, that I’ve blogged about again and again, is filing false federal tax returns.  People do it for various reasons - I suspect that two of the top reasons would be to avoid paying taxes or to get a substantial tax return from the IRS, lining their pockets - and offshore bank accounts - with money.   But what good is money
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Payroll Tax Evasion Lands Florida Couple in Prison Plus Hefty Fine by the IRS

Saturday, September 19th, 2009

Tax evasion is not a good idea.  Whether you are doing it to save yourself some money or doing it so your employees will save money.  Either way avoiding taxes is a bad idea!  As I said on my website, the bottom line is: Past due payroll taxes can cause you to lose your business and your freedom!  A great example of the trouble you can find yourself in with payroll tax evasion follows:
Judith and Norman
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Innocent Taxpayers Could Face IRS Audits as Agency Mines Mortgage Payment Data for Individuals With Unfiled Tax Returns

Tuesday, September 15th, 2009

The IRS is stepping up its creativity by utilizing resources that stem beyond the basic IRS database. Recently, the IRS announced that it plans to expand a program that cross-references between the IRS database and mortgage payment databases to catch any inconsistencies.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration announced that the IRS will use the mortgage-interest payment databases to inspect and find non-filers as well as people who reported less
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Tax Evasion of $2.1M for Rhode Island Man - Is Wife Eligible for Innocent Spouse Tax Relief?

Monday, September 14th, 2009

Tax evasion is tempting - especially when you are a business owner and the money is flowing in.  Who doesn’t want to live a luxurious lifestyle by evading taxes and pocketing the extra money, like the story below of this man from Rhode Island.  But what about his spouse?  Is she an innocent spouse eligible for tax relief?
A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty to tax evasion and bankruptcy fraud after admitting he
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IRS Treats Rabbi’s Tax Refund Scam As Seriously As Tax Evasion

Friday, September 11th, 2009

A Baltimore man was charged in connection with an international tax-fraud conspiracy that sought to obtain more than $35 million in federal and state income tax refunds using the identities of 3,300 federal prisoners.
Ten men, including the leader of the conspiracy, Marvin Berkowitz, 62, of Jerusalem, Israel, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago after Berkowitz and the others were arrested in Israel and other locations throughout the
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Taxpayers: Beware of Identity Theft Scams That Use the IRS Name and Logo

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

As the economy grows gloomier, identity thieves are getting more desperate and creative to trick people into paying up. The latest IRS warning urges  people to be cautious of identity theft scams that involve using the IRS name, logo, and web address to fool people into believing the IRS is contacting them to request personal information.
Protect your finances and personal information from identity thieves by staying alert and cautious around
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IRS Penalties for Fraudulent Tax Returns are Severe for CPAs and Taxpayers Alike

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Although there never was a “good” time to cheat on taxes, now is worse than ever for taxpayers and tax preparers to file fraudulent tax returns. With the IRS getting more funding and 800 more agents to collect taxes, taxpayers and CPAs who deliberately report fraudulent information on tax returns will be hit with severe IRS penalties.
If the IRS detects and proves beyond a reasonable doubt that fraudulence was deliberate,
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Could Expert Tax Help Have Boosted this CPA’s Chances of Fighting IRS Tax Evasion Charges?

Friday, August 7th, 2009

If you are being accused of tax evasion by the IRS but you have reasonable cause to fight the charges, you will need to provide concrete evidence to substantiate your claim. With IRS audits on the rise due to stricter enforcement, it will be wise to keep important records that may later help you prove your innocence to the IRS.
Due to a lack of substantial evidence, a highly educated CPA
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UBS Settlement Update: What Foreign Bank Account Holders Need to Know to Avoid Civil and Criminal IRS Penalties

Friday, July 31st, 2009

UBS has just struck a deal with the US Government to give up 52,000 names of Americans who have Swiss bank accounts. In the upcoming weeks, we can expect to see many guilty tax evaders being charged with heavy IRS penalties as well as innocent account holders who will need to defend themselves. (Read more about the latest UBS settlement.)
It is not uncommon for American businesspeople to hold foreign bank
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IRS Audits of Thousands of Innocent Offshore Account Holders Expected as UBS Releases 52,000 Names of Potential American Tax Evaders

Friday, July 31st, 2009

As a part of recent IRS efforts to find wealthy Americans who have been deliberately evading taxes by using offshore bank accounts, a deal has been reached today with UBS. The US Government and Switzerland have come to an agreement today that will force the Swiss bank, UBS, to turn over 52,000 names of suspected tax evaders.
According to the New York Times (www.nytimes.com), “UBS and the Swiss government have been
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Following Obama’s Orders, IRS Begins War on Tax Cheats

Sunday, July 26th, 2009

In a high-profile Tax Day press conference, President Obama announced an even more aggressive war on tax cheats. Now, the IRS is planning the assault.
By Michael Rozbruch
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It was only a couple of months ago that President Barack Obama, still freshly inaugurated, stood in the White House and announced his plan to go after — and go after aggressively — tax cheats, no matter where they hide their money.
His plan focused
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Former Strip Club Owner Sentenced for Tax Evasion

Friday, July 24th, 2009

Jon Dale Adams of Jackson, Miss., was sentenced to 18 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, for filing a false federal income tax return in 2000. Adams was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.
The former owner of a strip club, Adams was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2007. According to the indictment, Adams was charged with filing false returns that
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Georgia Women Plead Guilty to Tax Refund Conspiracy - Defrauded the US Government of Nearly $200K

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Georgia resident Yolanda Canty and Jacqueline Kier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the government following an IRS investigation that discovered their fraudulent tax-refund scheme.
The pair was involved in a scheme to file false tax returns based on fabricated W-2 forms in their own names and in the names of others.
Most of the “taxpayers” had no knowledge of the returns being filed in their names.
They would persuade individuals to provide
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Tax Evasion Schemes Are Too Costly To Be Worth The Effort

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

In the current environment of increasing IRS enforcement efforts, it is unwise for taxpayers to evade taxes and think that they can get away with it.
While it may be true that a small percentage of tax evaders could enjoy a few years of “freedom” from the IRS, the ones who do get caught could be served with debilitating bank levies and heavy wage garnishments for life. (And you never know
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