Archives 2016

In general the Internal Revenue Code provides that no action may be maintained more than six years after the commission of a criminal tax violation.
However, the Court has ruled that the statute does not necessarily begin when the tax return was filed or should have been filed.

The statute of limitations for tax crimes may not begin to run on the later of the date the tax return was due or the date the return was filed. With regard to certain tax crimes, such as 7202, the date that the statute of limitation begins is the date that the taxpayer acted willfully. This will often be a question of fact that must be decided by the jury. As a result, a motion to dismiss based upon dates set forth in the indictment may be denied.

Selecting a criminal tax attorney to represent you during a criminal tax investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS may be a substantial factor in determining whether you will be indicted and ultimately whether you will prevail at trial with a jury verdict of NOT GUILTY on all counts.

A taxpayer requested the trial court to instruct the jury that the willful failure to pay a tax is a lesser included offense of the charge of tax evasion. The trial court committed reversible error by refusing the taxpayer's requested instruction.

In a tax evasion case in which the taxpayer is charged pursuant to section 7201 of the Code, it is reversible error for the trial court to refuse the taxpayer's request to instruct the jury that willful failure to pay a tax under section 7203 is a lesser included offense, if the facts of the case would permit a reasonable jury to find willful failure to pay and not the additional act of concealment required to prove tax evasion.

Generally, the Federal Sentencing Guidelines are based upon tax loss. The definition normally does not include interest and penalties. However, when a taxpayer is convicted of a tax offense in which he attempted to evade payment of the tax, interest and penalties, the Court may include interest and penalties in its calculation of tax loss.

Taxpayer attempted to pay tax liens with checks from bank accounts that had been closed. The taxpayer was convicted after a jury trial of tax evasion. The Court sentenced the taxpayer based upon tax loss including interest and penalty since the taxpayer attempted to defraud the IRS for the entire amount.

Physician who authored diet book with Atkins was found guilty of tax fraud.

Two Kentucky men were sentenced to between five and more than six years in prison today after pleading guilty in April and May to conspiring to defraud the United States, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

An Austell, Georgia, couple was sentenced to prison for their role in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme.