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Criminal Tax Violations

Recent Posts in Criminal Tax Violations Category

  • What Turns an IRS Revenue Agent's Civil Examination into a Criminal Case?

    Tax professionals, such as CPAs, often confront IRS examinations into their clients’ income tax returns. Such examinations cost the client professional fees and may result in additional taxes, interest, and civil penalties. These costs may not be the worst result of an IRS examination. A more serious outcome may arise if the Revenue Agent believes the taxpayer committed fraud and refers the matter ...
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  • How the IRS differentiates between taxpayer fraud and taxpayer negligence

    Even though most people haven't thought about their federal income taxes for months and won't do so for at least another six months, memories of their most recent filing are likely still incredibly vivid. Indeed, they may have visions of a not-so-distant past in which they pored over Internal Revenue Service publications, searched online for answers and spent hours filling out their return. Given ...
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  • Will discoveries in Panama Papers finally spur the DOJ to take action?

    Our blog spent some time a few months back discussing the release of the Panama Papers, meaning the massive leak of files from the Panamanian-based law firm Mossack Fonseca to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. These files, which are still being painstakingly scrutinized by media outlets around the globe, have shed light on strategies employed by Mossack Fonseca on behalf ...
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  • Do I Need an Attorney to Become FATCA Compliant in Florida?

    Depending on the situation you may not need a lawyer to become FATCA compliant. If this is the first tax year you have had an offshore asset all you need to do is report it. If however you have had the asset for a number of years you will want to consult with a lawyer to limit your risks of facing prosecution.
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  • Why Should I be Compliant with IRS Laws?

    Avoiding investigation for tax crimes is a big reason to think about becoming tax compliant. Most people who are being prosecuted or investigated regret not becoming tax compliant. The best way to do this is by timely entering the Voluntary Disclosure Program or the Streamlined program. If you want to become tax compliant, schedule a consultation with the Orlando tax crime attorneys at the Law ...
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  • Recent budget cuts have not weakened the resolve of the IRS

    In addition to being the only people with legal authorization to fight tax crimes, these armed CI agents also work with federal prosecutors to help build everything from narcotics to corruption cases, utilizing all manner of investigative tactics from working undercover and developing informants to utilizing wiretaps and conducting raids. If you still don't believe it, consider that CI agents were ...
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  • Understanding more about employment tax crimes

    As a business owner, you have likely invested countless hours and considerable resources into watching your operation grow and even thrive beyond your expectations. Given this substantial investment of time, money and energy, it can be incredibly alarming to learn from the Internal Revenue Service that you are currently under investigation for -- or are being criminally charged with -- willfully ...
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  • Civil forfeiture: A favorite tool of the IRS

    When it comes to the notion of civil forfeiture, meaning scenarios in which the federal and state governments confiscates property, most people envision law enforcement officials seizing the million dollar homes or fleets of luxury vehicles owned by those convicted of serious white collar crimes or drug-related offenses. While this is by no means an inaccurate depiction, it's important to ...
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  • FATCA, FBAR: Unconstitutional, says U.S. Senator

    He's hoping to become President, but first he would like to strip the Internal Revenue Service of some of its power. Sen. Rand Paul is suing the Treasury Department and IRS in federal court over the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. He says in his lawsuit that FATCA violates constitutionally protected privacy rights. The suit also seeks to strike down FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial ...
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  • Penalties for FBAR violations, willful and nonwillful

    Regular readers will recall that in our previous post, we discussed a recent IRS memo in which the agency outlined penalties and processes for those U.S. taxpayers who don't file a FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts). This time, we're going to dive into some of the numbers the IRS mentioned in the memo; dollar amounts and percentages that can be assessed against those who ...
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  • IRS outlines offshore accounts enforcement efforts

    The Internal Revenue Service memo is written in the terse, dry voice of the bureaucrat, but its meaning becomes clear as a reader plows through it. The bottom line of the memo about FBAR (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts) enforcement is that the IRS wants to improve its compliance efforts. It wants to make sure that those who have in the past failed to report assets in overseas ...
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  • Offshore account reporting deadline looms

    For expatriates, June 15 has the ominous quality that April 15 has for most other American citizens. Next week, expats have to file their annual income tax forms. About two weeks later, on June 30, another deadline looms. On that date, all U.S. taxpayers with qualifying offshore accounts must file an FBAR -- Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FinCen Form 114). It's a day many dread and ...
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  • A CPA, bookkeeper and IRS agent walk into a bar...

    The trio could only possibly be funnier if they weren't talking about you. At this time of year, it can be difficult to find humor in the steady march of time toward April 15. But a publication for tax professionals -- Tax Pro Today -- has collected a few anecdotes from tax preparation specialists that you might find humorous. Let's take a quick look at what people who prepare taxes for a living ...
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  • Can I enter into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program? | Florida Offshore Bank Attorney

    There are certain reasons you might not be able into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program . These reasons include, but aren't limited to: The IRS has already learned about your unreported account You're under an audit The income comes from an illegal source If you can enter into the program, you will reduce the amount of civil penalties and avoid facing criminal charges. New laws such as ...
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  • Should I enter into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program now? | Florida Offshore Bank Attorney

    If you have unreported offshore bank accounts , it is critical to contact an experienced Florida tax evasion attorney sooner rather than later. the Law Offices of Horwitz & Citro, P.A. will help you enter into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program , and although you will still have to pay civil penalties, you will often avoid criminal charges. If you wait until the IRS calls you about your ...
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  • Who should enter into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program? | Florida criminal tax evasion attorney

    Individuals from all walks of life have entered into the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program . If you have unreported offshore bank accounts, you should enter into the OVDP as soon as possible to avoid severe civil penalties and possible jail time. Regardless of the amount of money in your offshore accounts, help from an experienced Florida tax evasion attorney can ensure you properly enter and ...
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  • What is FATCA? | Florida criminal tax fraud attorney

    The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is a law passed in 2010 that puts additional reporting requirements on individuals with offshore bank accounts. Under this law, individuals with over $50,000 in offshore "assets" must file a form in addition to the FBAR to the IRS. Assets include bank accounts, stock accounts, interest in a business, etc. Furthermore, the threshold for requiring this ...
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  • Is there anything wrong with opening an offshore bank account? | Florida offshore banking attorney

    There are many people who have legitimate reasons for opening and maintaining foreign bank accounts . While there is nothing wrong with opening an offshore account, there is a problem with inaccurately reporting or failing to report such accounts to the IRS. The necessary tax forms are not always clear and understandable, and reporting inaccurate information can be seen as a criminal offense. The ...
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  • What is offshore tax evasion? | Florida Tax Evasion Attorney

    The IRS and US government are cracking down on individuals who are participating in offshore tax evasion. This includes secret bank accounts that earn money and aren't reported on an individual's tax return. If you have a offshore accounts totaling over $10,000, you must report those accounts to the IRS every year. Failure to file that report every year is a felony and punishable by going to ...
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  • What is the IRS Amnesty Program? | IRS Amnesty Program Attorney

    The IRS Amnesty Program, also called the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program , is a method by which an individual who has the requirement to file and disclose offshore bank accounts can avoid criminal prosecution and significantly reduce the amount of civil penalties they must pay. If you have offshore bank accounts, call the experienced IRS Amnesty Program attorneys at the Law Offices of ...
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  • IRS: when the whip comes down

    Apparently inspired by the release of the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey," a recent, playful Forbes article likened the IRS to a dominatrix and taxpayers to those who need "safe words" to help escape the federal agency's punishments. "Too bad," the writer notes, "because if you mess up in taxes there are no safe words." Maybe. We like to think that there are safe words, including the following ...
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  • Taxpayer Advocate: stop treating foreign accounts as illegal

    While many have never heard of the official IRS office of the National Taxpayer Advocate, its purpose is to assist taxpayers who are having problems with the IRS. Nina Olson, the current National Taxpayer Advocate, reports annually to Congress on taxpayer rights issues, speaking both to lawmakers and the IRS on behalf of tax-paying Americans. This year, the voice of the National Taxpayer Advocate ...
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  • Making the best of a tough situation

    One instead of 20. Months instead of years. Those numbers are testimony to what an effective criminal defense attorney can do when a client has made a mistake and been compelled to strike a plea deal with prosecutors. In this case, as WKMG of Orlando reports, the person who made the mistake is Rep. Michael Grimm, who has announced that he would plead guilty to a single count of tax evasion and ...
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  • Effective defense counsel is the result of hard work, not magic

    The old saying is that a friend in need is a friend indeed. When a person is in trouble, they find out quickly who their real friends are and which people were mere acquaintances. An example of this can be found in the story of a 70-year-old man sentenced to seven years in prison after he was unable to pay more than $1 million in back taxes. A friend of his stepped forward and paid authorities ...
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  • Middle-class Americans caught up in IRS dragnet

    The Internal Revenue Service is widely known and feared for its zealous pursuit of taxpayers who are suspected of committing tax crimes. However, the reality is that many people who have never broken the law are completely shocked to find that they are being investigated by the IRS. Another disconcerting reality: the IRS can seize your bank account even if no criminal complaint is ever filed ...
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