It’s only February and we have our second nominee for the Bozo Tax Offender of the Year award. Via the TaxGirl comes the sorry story of Jonathan Wiktorchik, Jr.
Mr. Wiktorchik lost his Chiropractic license in 2007. He had pleaded guilty to insurance fraud after he submitted 1800 phantom claims for $90,000. He ended up going to prison and had to pay $50,000 in restitution.
Meanwhile, the IRS was investigating him for 2005. So what did Mr. Wiktorchik do? Did he hire a good tax attorney? Did he get his records in order? Or did he allegedly burn down his office to destroy his tax records while blaming it on phantom gang members?
Well, the indictment handed down by a federal grand jury on Monday alleges that Mr. Wiktorchik did just that. Besides arson, he’s also accused of lying to the IRS (never a good idea) as his tax records were apparently not destroyed in the fire. The indictment states they were at his home. The fire, on March 30, 2008, not only destroyed his office but four neighboring businesses as well. If convicted, Mr. Wiktorchik is looking at 15 years at ClubFed and a mandatory $1,505,000 fine.
Needless to say, this is a sterling example (if true) of what not to do if you find yourself in tax trouble.
Tags: TaxOffenderOfTheYear