Business Better Podcast Episode: Tax Audits, Investigations, and Global Enforcement - A Conversation with IRS Special Agent Jonathan Schnatz
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 28 - Under the Microscope: Examining the Future of the ERC
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 4 - Understanding the Employee Retention Credit
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 2 - Avoid Falling Prey: The Dirty Dozen and Other Trending Tax Scams
Argentina: A Look at the Case of Lázaro Báez - Laundering the Proceeds of Corruption and Tax Fraud
Podcast: Cum-Ex Dividend Trade Investigations
In the late 1990s, former Atlanta Braves players John Smoltz and Ryan Klesko formed Big K Farms (“Big K”), a partnership that, over the years, acquired approximately 1,500 acres of land in Georgia for around $4 million. From...more
Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) brought USA v. Ahlgren, its first crypto case with tax evasion allegations unrelated to another crime, demonstrating the DOJ’s willingness to pursue stand-alone crypto...more
El 10 de abril de 2024, como parte de su campaña de la Docena Sucia (“Dirty Dozen”) para 2024, el IRS emitió una advertencia a individuos de alto patrimonio con respecto a tres trampas fiscales diseñadas para ellos por...more
On 4/10/24, as part of its Dirty Dozen Campaign for 2024, the IRS issued a warning to High Net Worth Individuals regarding three tax traps designed for them by dishonest promoters and shady tax practitioners. High Net Worth...more
Two recent tax court cases paint an ominous picture for professionals and investors who participated in listed syndicated conservation easement transactions. Coming on the heels of the Fisher conviction and his lengthy...more
In this episode, we are joined by Special Agent Jonathan Schnatz, Senior Analyst with IRS Criminal Investigation. Special Agent Schnatz will discuss his work with an international law enforcement and tax compliance group, and...more
Recent Government actions suggest that third-party promoters and potentially hundreds of taxpayers may be entering into abusive trust arrangements aimed at unlawfully eliminating or deferring federal income taxes....more
While not as well-known as the Paycheck Protection Program, the Employee Retention Credit (“ERC”) program was another form of Covid relief provided by the federal government to businesses in 2020 and 2021. The ERC program...more
For some time, the IRS has cautioned taxpayers about filing false or fraudulent ERC claims. More recently, on September 14, 2023, the IRS issued a News Release, IR-2023-169, indicating that it would no longer process ERC...more
NY’s Almost There- Back in June of this year, New York’s legislature passed a bill that, if enacted, would create the first state-level public database with information regarding the ownership of limited liability...more
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is known as the U.S. “congressional watchdog,”. GAO is an independent, non-partisan agency that works for Congress by examining how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides...more
Takeaways: ..2022 IRS Criminal Investigation Annual Report highlights significant prosecutions and identifies cryptocurrency as an area of top priority heading into 2023. ..Criminal Investigation Chief Jim Lee...more
Taxpayers routinely ask me if they can go to jail for not paying their federal income taxes. Admittedly, the bar is not that high for felony tax evasion—the government must only prove three elements: (i) willfulness; (ii)...more
The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division (IRS CI) is targeting tax preparers or the ones who prepare tax returns in 2022. IRS CI is focusing its efforts on tax preparers who underreport their clients’...more
Tax Litigation: The Week of April 25th, 2022, through April 29th, 2022 Sestak v. Comm’r, TC Memo. 2022-41| April 25, 2022 | Weiler, J. | Dkt. No. 17285-18...more
In Chico v. Commissioner, the taxpayers challenged the Tax Court’s assessment of a fraud penalty. The Tax Court had imposed civil fraud penalties against the married taxpayers, finding clear-and-convincing evidence of fraud...more
Freeman Law’s “The Tax Court in Brief” covers every substantive Tax Court opinion, providing a weekly brief of its decisions in clear, concise prose. The Week of August 16 – August 20, 2021 - Catlett v. Comm’r, No....more
During a recent program discussing the latest government enforcement efforts related to cryptocurrency, we spoke with Gary Alford, one of the leading Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents in their crypto enforcement efforts,...more
Following the US Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) announcement of “Operation Hidden Treasure,” companies and individuals should prepare for increased scrutiny of virtual currency transactions. Unveiled in March, the operation...more
En el comentario “A Closer Look: Impacting the Tax Gap”, el Comisionado del IRS, Chuck Rettig, revela que el IRS ha cambiado su enfoque de fiscalización a declaraciones de impuestos que incluyen contribuyentes de altos...more
The IRS uses the information it collects to detect, prevent, and reduce noncompliance and fraud. The US Government accountability Office (GAO) produced a Tax Administration Report on December 2020 (Better Coordination Could...more
A Night to Remember? Did you listen to the President’s speech last Wednesday? He addressed a joint session of Congress to pitch the Administration’s $1.8 trillion American Families Plan. Due to COVID-related...more
It is tax season once again. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has extended this year’s filing deadline to May 17, 2021 for individuals, businesses must still file by April 15, and all U.S. taxpayers must ensure that...more
Male Escort Gets 21 Months In Prison For Tax Case - He lied on his tax returns, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $278,325. A male escort who lied to the IRS about his income was sentenced to 21 months in prison and...more
Federal tax penalties have always been an IRS priority. But, perhaps more so today than three decades ago. For example, in 1987, the IRS reported that it had assessed penalties of approximately $14 billion. Compare that...more