There’s going to be a week when I won’t be able to find a tax cheat. That will be the week I’m on vacation….
We start in Tucson, Arizona, where a California man took elderly Tucson residents as clients of his tax preparation business. He had an interesting method of making money. He promised his clients very large refunds. He got them, too, by exaggerating deductions. The refunds went into his bank account, rather than the clients. The IRS wasn’t amused. He’s looking at up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. (News story: here)
We move on to Durham, North Carolina. Here, Steven Edwards was convicted of fraud and tax evasion and sentenced to 12 1/2 years in jail, and must make restitution of $4.4 million. He collected millions of dollars of insurance premiums from clients…but didn’t buy the insurance. He must also forfeit the nearly $4 million he received from the scheme and pay a fine of $400,000.
Tax crime doesn’t pay….