Tax evasion is a potential criminal charge. Tax avoidance is perfectly acceptable. 26 U.S.C. § 7201 defines what is tax evasion. It states in relevant part that any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax imposed by this title or the payment thereof shall,…
Leona Helmsley, Jim Thorpe, Webster Hubbell, Alphonse Capone, and Peter Madoff are among many convicted of tax crimes such as tax evasion and tax fraud. The government generally targets groups like tax preparation firms and entities that are mainly cash based. But, the criminal division of the IRS has begun…
Fraud is a concept that has been in the criminal justice system forever. Google defines it as an intentional deception used to gain an unfair advantage or benefit, often involving financial gains. How does the Department of Justice prosecute fraud? Below is a non exhaustive list of charges that the…
The federal government may target organizations and businesses as well as individuals for violations of federal criminal statutes. For example, in the health care realm, cases can include office managers, practitioners from doctors, nurses to pharmacists to all other aspects of the medical industry. Recent federal investigations have targeted pill…
Milan Patel and four other defendants were charged both by the SEC and the Department of Justice for their role in an options trading scheme in the Northern District of Georgia. Another defendant, Bart Ross was sentenced a few years ago for the same scheme. In total, In total, the…
A federal criminal trial consists of several different stages. The below will analyze a ONE defendant trial. But, more often than not, trials can consist of multiple defendants at trial. This just augments the time needed for each stage. Jury Selection also known as Voir Dire Jury selection is one…
Recently, Robert Purbeck of Idaho, also known as “Lifelock,” and “Studmaster,” was sentenced to ten years after pleading guilty to federal charges of computer fraud and abuse. He hacked into the computer servers of the City of Newnan, Georgia and a Griffin, Georgia medical clinic, and then targeted at least…
As discussed in our prior blogs, the Department of Justice has already been prosecuting cases of larger-scale, outright PPP fraud. In August 2022, President Biden signed two bills into law that give the Department of Justice and other federal agencies more time to investigate and prosecute Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and COVID-19 Economic…
Cell phones are everywhere today and thus play a significant role in criminal investigations. What reports are generated from my devices? Cellebrite reports provide information about phone calls and text messages; but now it also provides a report on the data stored on these devices such as voicemails, images, and…
Trump has been indicted in Fulton County Superior Court. So, what is RICO and why is it important in this case? The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, was original designed to fight organized crime. It was enacted in 1970 after being signed into law by President Richard Nixon. …