Tag archives: tax-fraud

Sergio Gardea an accountant and tax return preparer with offices in Akron and Canton, Ohio prevailed in his federal jury trial in dramatic fashion with an unanimous NOT GUILTY verdict on all counts. Mr. Gardea had been charged with 30 counts of willfully filing false tax returns for clients. During the trial 9 counts were dismissed by the government and the jury found Mr. Gardea NOT GUILTY on all 21 counts remaining.

Understanding the charge of tax evasion. In the world of federal criminal tax defense, to have a chance to win it is mandatory that both the taxpayer and his legal counsel know the intricate laws and rules that apply to criminal tax cases.

The Government Has Focused a Considerable Amount of Energy To Prosecute Taxpayers Who Failed to File FBAR Reports and Accurately Account For Taxes. The Government has used the Required Records Doctrine to compel taxpayers to produce foreign bank account records.

The Fifth Amendment protects individual taxpayers from being compelled to testify when such testimony is incriminating. This rule has been held to apply to the records in the custody and control of the taxpayer. However, when the taxpayer is required to maintain the records for non-law enforcement reasons that are public in nature, the Required Records Doctrine authorizes the government to subpoena such records. This is recognized as an exception to the Fifth Amendment.

I person responsible for paying over payroll taxes may not escape responsibility through the use of corporate formalities and structures.

Taxpayers who find that they are the target of an IRS tax investigation for possible criminal tax violations are presented with difficult choices that often affect the ultimate outcomes of their cases.

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.