Financial crimes have become prevalent in Florida, with both federal authorities and state officials doing their best to uncover them. Their efforts have met with substantial success in recent years, as collaboration between state and federal levels has resulted in better investigations and unprecedented information sharing. Still, tax evasion cases do occur, sometimes with high monetary amounts and unique details, as happened recently.
In the case, a man sought a $613,034 tax refund on his 2011 return. The Internal Revenue Service obligingly wrote him a check for that amount. Whey they did, the man deposited his new government supplied fortune into his Wells Fargo bank account, which he had set up for a fictitious lawn care business.
The problem is that the man had claimed that he was a Capitol Records executive in order to get the massive refund. However, he has nothing to do with that company. Regardless, the IRS accepted his claim at face value and sent him the cash.
After that, investigators say, he tried to cheat on his 2012 income tax return as well. He is also accused of helping two associates do the same thing, with one of them pretending to have a glitzy job and getting a $600,000 refund compliments of the IRS.
All three men are facing trials or sentencing. Those legal proceedings will take place in Miami federal court. All three of them are advised to work closely with their attorneys, so they can address the charges against them and decide how to build a good defense. Anyone in Florida facing similar charges should do likewise, getting an attorney who specializes in these kinds of cases.
Source: Miami Herald, “Phony big-bucks jobs helped North Miami trio rip off IRS for $1.8 million, feds say” Jay Weaver, Jan. 11, 2014
