Category Archives: Scams

Well, She Didn’t Get Charged with Impersonating a CPA…

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Russ

Every so often a client asks me to send a mortgage company a letter noting that I prepared their tax returns, and verifying their income for those years. I haven’t been asked to send a letter to a mortgage company … Continue reading →

Posted in Scams, Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

The Secret Decoder Ring Strikes Again!

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Russ

I’ve written about Sharon Kukhahn before. Ms. Kukhahn thought that there was some magical way to decode your IRS file and magically make your taxes disappear! Ms. Kukhahn sold her packages to the public and pocketed $2,000 – $3,000 per … Continue reading →

Posted in Scams, Tax Fraud | 1 Comment

A Chestnut Is in the Rough

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Russ

Another week, two more individuals have been sued by the Department of Justice for allegedly promoting phony tax schemes. Rodney Chestnut and Nafeesah Hines are alleged to have found a unique way for you and I to obtain tax refunds: … Continue reading →

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Full Tilt Poker: $238 Million (54%) May Have Gone to Pay Taxes

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Russ

As I noted last week, Full Tilt Poker allegedly paid their owners $440 million, much of that money supposedly coming from player deposits. One question I’ve been asked is, where did that money go? Well, I don’t know where all … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling, Scams | Tagged | 2 Comments

Full Tilt Poker Alleged to be “Massive Ponzi Scheme”

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Russ

The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York this morning alleged that Full Tilt Poker is a “massive Ponzi scheme.” Back in April, the Department of Justice seized the domain names of the three largest US-facing online … Continue reading →

Posted in Gambling, Scams | Tagged | 3 Comments

Nonexistent Inspectors Lead to a Real Cell at ClubFed

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Russ

Jay Vincent was a standout player at Michigan State. He was part of the squad that featured Ervin “Magic” Johnson that won the NCAA Championship over Indiana State in 1979. Mr. Vincent played in the NBA with stops in Dallas, … Continue reading →

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There’s Good and Bad Creativity

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Russ

There’s being aggressive, and there’s being stupid. A. Blair Stover was the latter. As the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals noted, [The IRS]…found that even the most conservative estimate of the tax loss to the government caused by Stover’s schemes … Continue reading →

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Phony Liens, Real Jail

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Russ

Here’s a strategy that’s guaranteed to endear yourself to the IRS and other officials at the federal government. First, get yourself in trouble with the SEC. Thanh Viet Jeremy Cao of nearby Rancho Santa Margarita did just that: He was … Continue reading →

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Time Was On His Side

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Russ

Sometimes I have to be careful about jumping to conclusions. When I first looked at Charlton v. Commissioner I expected the taxpayer to lose. It wasn’t hard to jump to that conclusion when I read, Throughout his career, Jeffrey pursued … Continue reading →

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Ciavarella Guilty of 12 of 39 Counts

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Russ

Back in 2009, I reported on what I called, “One of the worst cases I’ve read about.” I like putting humor in posts, but that post was just matter of fact. I had not read before of such horrendous corruption … Continue reading →

Posted in Scams, Tax Evasion | Comments Off on Ciavarella Guilty of 12 of 39 Counts