Taxable Talk

The IRS has its problems, but accepting bribes isn’t one of them. The former chairman of the Woodland Park, New Jersey Democratic Committee found that out the hard way.

Michael Kazmark didn’t pay his 1997-2005 federal taxes; he owed just under $100,000 (including interest and penalties) by 2010. When you owe a large amount and cannot pay one avenue that’s open to you is an Offer In Compromise (OIC). In an OIC, you ask the IRS to settle your debt for pennies on the dollar. About 15% of OICs make it through and are accepted; it usually takes over a year for the process to play itself out. Mr. Kazmark offered to pay $48,800 of the $98,046 he owed; he sent the required deposit of $9,800 with his OIC application.

Mr. Kazmark wanted to make sure his OIC went through. Now, most of us might consult with a tax professional who could make sure the OIC had the best chance of being approved. Mr. Kazmark had another idea: bribery. From the Information in his indictment:

5. It was part of this bribery scheme that on or about October 5, 2010, in Passaic County, defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK offered, promised to make and made a $1,000 bribe payment to UC1 and UC2 in exchange for their official assistance in transferring MICHAEL KAZMARK’s offer in compromise file to UC2 so that UC2 could accept defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK’s April 18, 2010 offer in compromise.

6. It was a further part of this bribery scheme that on or about October 5, 2010, in Passaic County, New Jersey, defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK offered and promised to make a $17,500 bribe payment to UC1 and UC2 in exchange for their official assistance in accepting defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK’s April 18, 2010 offer in compromise, and thereby resolving defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK’s federal tax liability, for the amount of the check that he had already paid to the IRS, namely $9,760, as opposed to the $48,800 that defendant MICHAEL KAZMARK had initially offered.

Mr. Kazmark pleaded guilty last year; he was sentenced on Friday to two years at ClubFed. He was lucky in that federal sentencing guidelines suggested a three-year term. In any case, bribery is a strategy that is a very poor choice.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 2nd, 2014 at 7:07 pm and is filed under New Jersey, Tax Fraud. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.