Individuals using offshore bank accounts to conceal assets and facilitate tax fraud continue to be prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, citizens and lawful permanent residents (i.e. “Green Card” holders) that have an interest in or signature authority over a financial account in a foreign…
Sometimes understating income is just carelessness. Sometimes its tax fraud or tax evasion. People don’t always realize that tax fraud or tax evasion can lead to time in jail. Convincing judges to sentence defendants to prison for criminal tax evasion continues to be a priority for the Department of Justice…
Massive change is coming to the IRS
To avoid prosecution for tax evasion and other alleged crimes, the Swisspartners Investment Network AG, a Swiss-based asset management firm, and three of its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the Swisspartners Group) entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Although many taxpayers have been entering the IRS Offshore…
An alleged tax fraud scheme by Victor Lipukhin, the former president of a large Russian steel company resulted in a recent grand jury indictment. According to court papers, he hid between $4 million and $7.5 million dollars in Swiss bank accounts at UBS from 2002 through 2007. If convicted, he…
The Foreign Bank Account Reports (FBARS), FINCEN Form 114, (this form was previously designated as TDF 90-22.1), has again been roundly criticized by the tax litigation attorneys have known for years: that the OVDP is unfair in both design and application. In lieu of the OVDP, the Taxpayer Advocate has…
While offshore tax evasion can sometimes be a family affair as well. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara recently announced a prosecution of an offshore tax evasion case involving multiple family members. This case illustrates the dangers involved when an older family member passes on without cleaning up his Report of Foreign…
In a move which should send shivers through the spines of delinquent FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report) filers the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has granted the IRS’ request for the names of U.S persons holding “secret” Swiss bank accounts. The IRS had originally submitted a so-called group request in September…
The IRS has assessed FBAR penalties against Carl R. Zwerner for willfuly failing to file an FBAR (Foreign Bank Account Report) on Form TDF 90-22.1. The news here is that the IRS is seeking to impose a willful failure to file an FBAR penalty against Zwerner for multiple years. Specifically…
The U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii recently acquitted an 87-year-old auto dealership mogul of all tax fraud and conspiracy charges that the U.S. Government had brought against him. James Pflueger, who was facing multiple counts of both tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government, had been…