Robert Brockman “won” the 2020 Tax Offender of the Year (an award you really, really don’t want to win); he passed away in August 2022. Mr. Brockman won the award for allegedly committing a billion dollar tax fraud.
While his criminal indictment ended when Mr. Brockman’s life ended, the civil case (the IRS attempted to recover $1.4 billion) continued. Last week, Mr. Brockman’s estate settled with the IRS; the estate agreed to pay $465 million in back taxes and $294 million in penalties for the 2004-2018 tax years. It’s a lot easier to simply pay your taxes (and it’s definitely financially prudent to do so).
This reminds me that we will be announcing the winner of the 2025 Tax Offender of the Year award later this week. Here are the previous winners:
2024: Mark Scott
2023: Lev Derman et. al.
2022: Kevin Kirton
2021: Oleg Tinkov
2020: Robert Brockman
2019: Lawrence R. Gazdick, Jr.
2018: California’s Train to Nowhere
2017: State and Local Pension Crisis
2016: Judge Diane Kroupa
2015: Kenneth Harycki
2014: Mauricio Warner
2013: U.S. Department of Justice
2012: Steven Martinez
2011: United States Congress
2010: Tony and Micaela Dutson
2009: Mark Anderson
2008: Robert Beale
2007: Gene Haas
2005: Sharon Lee Caulder
