Articles Posted in FRAUD & CRIMINAL TAX

Sacramento woman guilty of grand theft, state tax fraud

On April 3, A Sacramento woman pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft with an enhancement for a theft involving more than $150,000 and three counts of filing false state income tax returns.

Jill L. Platt, 36, pleaded no contest to the charges in a plea agreement. According to court documents, Platt embezzled more than $150,000 from her former employer, a local engineering firm. Platt had access to the company’s credit card and used it from September 2004 to October 2006 for personal items such as food, beverages, and entertainment. Platt also failed to claim the credit card purchases as income on her 2004, 2005, and 2006 state income tax returns. All income is taxable including income from illegal sources.

California and Hawaii Taxpayers Struck by IRS Payroll Tax & Income Tax Problems Created by IRS Tax Evasion and Tax Avoidance Schemes.

Los Angeles – San Jose Tax Attorney: According to the Internal Revenue Service, lawyers from the IRS with the support of tax attorneys from DOJ announced that IRS has obtained civil injunctions against more than 100 tax promoters of illegal IRS tax avoidance schemes and fraudulent IRS tax return preparers in an ongoing crackdown that began in 2001.

Many of the illegal tax promoters targeted taxpayers in Los Angeles, Alhambra Burbank Carson Cerritos Downey El Monte Lawndale Lomita Long Beach Oakland Palmdale Pasadena Pomona San Jose Santa Monica Studio City Van Nuys West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills with income tax and payroll tax avoidance schemes. These taxpayers along with the tax promoters may receive IRS tax audit notice as part of the ongoing IRS tax investigation.

Los Angeles Tax Attorney – We serve California taxpayers with IRS or California State tax problem, tax audit, tax levy, tax lien, offer in compromise residing in the following areas: Alhambra Beverly Hills Burbank Carson Cerritos Culver City Downey El Monte Gardena Glendale Lawndale Lomita Long Beach North Northridge Palmdale Pasadena Pomona Rancho Palos Verdes Redondo Beach Rolling Hills San Gabriel San Pedro Santa Clarita Santa Fe Springs Santa Monica Sherman Oaks Studio City Torrance Valencia Van Nuys West Covina West Hollywood West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills.

All taxpayers should be aware of tax preparers such as Hazel Harris who according to government complaint targets elderly customers who receive Social Security benefits and generates fraudulent income tax refunds on their behalf.

The Government and IRS Tax complaint states that Harris tells her clients she is an accountant who specializes in refunds for Social Security recipients. In order to increase business, she is alleged to have advised potential customers to contact current clients who have received refunds as a result of her fraudulent return preparation.

Harris reportedly generates improper tax refunds by reporting only half of her customers’ Social Security benefits as taxable income, and by fabricating amounts of taxes withheld. Additionally, she has prepared the clients’ returns for multiple years at one time, regardless of whether a return has already been filed for those years.

The government alleges that Harris has prepared more than eight-thousand federal income tax returns for others since 2001. According to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates, she has claimed over $3.5 million in fraudulent refunds.
Continue reading

IRS Criminal Tax Prosecution- IRS Summons Defense
Los Angeles Tax Attorney – The Internal Revenue Service may issue a summons inquiring “any offense connected into the administration or enforcement of the IRS tax code. Thus, unless there has been a referral to the Justice Department for criminal tax prosecution, that fact that there is a IRS criminal tax aspect to the Internal Revenue Service’s investigation into the taxpayer’s tax returns is not sufficient to quash a IRS tax summons.

IRS Criminal Tax and IRS Tax Fraud – Criminal Tax Defense
California Tax Attorney – A taxpayer may utilize his privilege against self-incrimination in an IRS tax audit as to records in his possession. The IRS tax attorney-client privilege also applies in the IRS tax audit context.

The constitutional immunity against self-incrimination may be involved in an IRS tax audit or tax examination. It also applies during any IRS tax collection activity. The Internal Revenue Service’s announcement policy is that the IRS Criminal Investigation Division’s Special Agent is to advise the taxpayer at the initial meeting that he cannot be compelled to incriminate himself by answering questions or producing documents, even though the case has not yet reached the IRS tax criminal prosecution stage. This does not mean, however, that the taxpayer is protected merely because the IRS agent does not comply with that directive.

Los Angeles IRS Tax Audit – Tax Attorney Production of Internal Revenue Service Documents

California Tax Attorney – During the coarse of an IRS tax audit, the IRS taxpayer may request documents from the Internal Revenue Service. Under a specific statute, the IRS taxpayer is entitled to inspect his IRS tax return, including amendments, supplements, and attachments.

In addition, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Torrance, Orange, Riverside, San Jose, California taxpayers may force the Internal Revenue Service to produce its manuals of instructions for revenue and special agents, since these are relevant to the possible improper use of the summons to aid an IRS criminal prosecution or IRS tax fraud; the IRS manuals may not be suppressed as privilege. The manuals are not exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Contact Information