A client recently came to my firm needing legal help to resolve a situation affecting his career and reputation in law enforcement. This client was somewhat unusual for my firm because more typically, we defend people facing criminal charges made by overzealous law enforcement officers. We have represented some very good folks who had horrendous experiences when they were targeted for criminal investigations. Here, however, the client was a small-town police officer who wanted to devote his career to honorably helping the community. I reviewed the facts surrounding his separation from the police force and concluded that he had done absolutely nothing that justified his being branded with a scarlet letter, so I accepted him as a client. Continue reading
Irwin Schiff and the Patriots
On October 16, 2015, Irwin Schiff died, in prison, from lung cancer. He was 87 years old, and serving a fourteen-year sentence – his third prison term, and the final chapter in his 40-year crusade against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Schiff was one of the original and most notable proponents of constitutional challenges to income taxation – as he saw it, and relentlessly argued it, there was no basis in the United States Constitution for the assessment or collection of income taxes from anyone. Continue reading
IRS Investigations: They Plead the Fifth, but Want You to Plead Guilty
On May 22, 2013, Lois Lerner – Director of the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Division – stated before Congress that neither she nor her division had inappropriately or unfairly targeted certain politically-oriented groups for auditing. Was this just a position statement? Did this constitute “testimony?” Regardless, she certainly seemed to be absolving herself and her staff of misconduct or criminal behavior. But when asked to provide further testimony on the matter, Ms. Lerner . . . Continue reading
Media Alert for Internet Companies and Other Small Business Owners!
A client recently came to my firm needing immediate legal help to prevent a TV news station from airing an advertised “exposé” of his business (buying and re-selling items on the Internet via Amazon and eBay). A reporter for the news station had contacted him on Facebook and, citing alleged unresolved complaints from the Better Business Bureau, began a conversation asking how he planned to pay back consumers. Continue reading
Ending an IRS Criminal Investigation
Normally, the IRS does not do us the courtesy of sending a letter to say that a witch hunt has been called off. But this time the IRS did the right thing. See below. So, my client consented to this being posted with his information redacted. He is a good and innocent man who deserves to get on with his life without the stigma of a criminal investigation hanging over his head. I was honored to have represented him. Continue reading
IRS and Prison Sentences: The High Cost of Low Returns
The IRS says that the goal of a criminal IRS investigation is to get convictions or guilty pleas.[1] That means prison time. I’ve often wondered how much in tax dollars we taxpayers are probably paying to send tax offenders to jail. So I did something that’s common in a tax matter—a little math.
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