An Offer in Compromise (OIC) can be one of the best ways to avoid an IRS tax levy, and to reduce your tax debt if you have fallen far behind. Earlier this month I was speaking with a senior IRS collection official about Offers in Compromise, and he brought up…
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…
Tax fraud is not limited to the young. The IRS has once again demonstrated that its pursuit of American citizens who commit tax evasion through the use of offshore bank accounts does not diminish when taxpayers of advanced age are involved. Seventy eight- year-old Peter Troost, of Skokie, Illinois, recently…
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…
The 6th Circuit recently taught an expensive lesson to a Michigan couple about carefully following procedure when dealing with tax problems and subsequent loss of their $64,000 refund occurred because of a seeming minor error. Following an IRS tax dispute began, as the IRS’ records stated that the envelope containing…
After being convicted of criminal tax fraud and serving 18 months in federal prison, a prominent former California tax attorney recently found himself again the subject of an IRS investigation into his alleged tax fraud. After a criminal tax case that culminated in Owen G. Fiore’s guilty plea to tax…
Last year the IRS announced an alternative to its Offshore Voluntary Compliance Program (OVDP) which was being made available to a limited group of non-resident individuals who failed to file Foreign Bank Account Reports (FBARs) on Form TDF 90-22.1. Our tax lawyers blogged about the Streamlined Program previously, taking a…
Many people have the preconceived notion that used car salesmen are less than scrupulous and Mohammad Jafar Nikbakht didn’t do anything to help that stereotype. Late last year in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, Mohammad Nikbakht aka Freydoon Nikbakht was sentenced to 15 months…