Often times when someone is charged with a crime, that person may have a chance to significantly reduce their sentence by sharing relevant information with the Department of Justice about other criminal activity previously unknown to the department. Many defendants...
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Tax Crimes
IRS WARNS PREPARERS OF NEW EFIN SCAM
The IRS has announced upcoming training and other information for tax preparers to warn them of recent scams including fraudsters impersonating various software companies in an attempt to steal Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs). To read the complete IRS...
Fraudsters Found Guilty for Billion-Dollar Syndicated Conservation Easement Tax Scam
Two tax shelter promoters were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and assisting the filing of false tax returns and subscribing to false returns, and one was also convicted of money laundering. The defendants, Jack Fisher and James Sinnott,...
Donations of Art: The Latest IRS Scam
Recently a wave of unscrupulous promotors have encouraged taxpayers in the high-income brackets to purchase various types of art at what they allege to be discounted prices. The promotors may offer to store the art and arrange for an appraisal for the art before...
PPP and EIDL Loan Fraud
When it comes to PPP and EIDL fraud, the government has more time to make its case against defendants. In August 2022, the statute of limitations to bring charges against a defendant for fraud under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster...
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) Recommends Theft Detection Measures for Fraudulent Businesses
The IRS has measures in place to try to detect fraudulent returns by individuals, as well as businesses. Although the IRS has paid out millions in fraudulent refunds, the IRS reported it has protected nearly $3.8 billion in fraudulent refund claims since 2016. The...
Former IRS Employee Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion
Wayne Garvin worked as a Supervisory Associate Advocate with the revered IRS’ Taxpayer Advocate Service in his last position working for the IRS. For the years 2012 through 2016, while employed by the IRS, Garvin filed false tax returns with the IRS on which he...
Money Laundering is Dirty Business – U.S. and Foreign Law Enforcement Work Together to Cleaning Up Crime
Thanks to the efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, and our law enforcement partners in Austria and Lebanon, Sezgin Baran Korkmaz was apprehended in Austria, and extradited to Utah where he was indicted on charges for fraud and money laundering exceeding...
Identity Theft Warnings Abound
The IRS Security Summit reminds tax professionals to take additional precautions to safeguard client data. The annual Security Summit campaign begins July 19th, with a series of five weekly news releases with information on how to protect federal and state tax...
The IRS’ Position on Abusive Micro-captive Insurance Transactions is Upheld
While micro-captive insurance policies may be about as clear as mud to many people, what is crystal clear is that a U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the IRS’ position that abusive micro-captive insurance transactions are sham transactions resulting in a disallowance of...