Author Archives: Russ

IRS Data Breach Impacted 334,000, Not 100,000 as IRS First Said

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Russ

The IRS announced today that the data breach impacting the online version of the “Get Transcript” application impacted approximately 334,000 taxpayers, not the 104,000 the agency had first said. The IRS will offer free credit monitoring services to victims. The … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | 1 Comment

Two Sets of Returns Aren’t Better than One

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Russ

As I get ready to teach a course in ethics, I have plenty of practical examples of things not to do. Today I look at the idea of preparing one set of tax returns for clients but using a second … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

A Pseudo New Nominee for Tax Offender of the Year

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Russ

Well, he probably can’t win my coveted award of Tax Offender of the Year as the alleged crimes have nothing to do with tax. However, the alleged perpetrator is a tax attorney, so there is at least some relation to … Continue reading →

Posted in Scams | 1 Comment

IRS: Free Identity Protection Services After a Data Breach Isn’t Includable in Income

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Russ

The IRS noted Announcement 2015-22 today, that states: [T]he IRS will not assert that an individual whose personal information may have been compromised in a data breach must include in gross income the value of the identity protection services provided … Continue reading →

Posted in IRS | Tagged | 3 Comments

There’s Innocent FBAR Violations, and There’s This

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Russ

It’s one thing when Aunt Sally inherits €8000 in the old country, it sits in the bank for one day, and she then gets the money the next day in the US. Yes she should have filed an FBAR, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Fraud | Tagged | 1 Comment

Why Rob Banks, Redux

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Russ

Back in 2012 I noted that gangs were looking at identity theft as the successor to bank robbery. From Los Angeles comes the news that the California Attorney General’s Office, along with the Long Beach Police and the US Postal … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Tax Fraud | Tagged | 1 Comment

Up In Smoke…Again

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Russ

Another medical marijuana dispensary owner found himself at Tax Court today. And another marijuana dispensary owner isn’t happy with the results, though in this case much of the damage was self-inflicted. Jason Beck owned two medical marijuana dispensaries in California … Continue reading →

Posted in Tax Court | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Last Roundup at Nifty Fifty’s

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Russ

Last Thursday William Frio was sentenced to five years at ClubFed. Mr. Frio was the accountant for Nifty Fifty’s, the Philadelphia-area restaurant chain with food themed from the 1950s and a tax strategy from the 1850s. Beginning in 1986, Frio … Continue reading →

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Speaking: Ethics in the Digital World

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Russ

I’ll be back in my old stomping grounds of Orange County next Tuesday; I’ll be speaking to the Orange County Chapter of the California Society of Enrolled Agents on “Ethics in the Digital World.” I’ll be noting all the bad … Continue reading →

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Not Remitting Employment Taxes Doesn’t Work in Japan Either

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Russ

In the United States, one of the quickest ways of getting in tax trouble is by withholding employment taxes and not remitting those taxes to the IRS. The rate of investigation is as close to 100% as you can get–and … Continue reading →

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