Articles Posted in Federal Crimes

Federal Crimes:  FATCA stands for Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.  Back in March, 2010, United States legislators decided that the Internal Revenue Code was not bulky enough, and therefore added yet more chapters, 26 U.S.C. §1471-1474. The U.S. has been hard at work on pushing for increased tax compliance amongst U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts and assets.  FATCA forces foreign financial institutions (FFI) to disclose information on foreign accounts held by US citizens to the Internal Revenue Service.

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Although the effective date for FATCA was January 1, 2013, another new deadline is looming.  Foreign banks must register with the IRS by June 30, 2014.  A foreign financial institution could face significant consequences if it fails to enter into an agreement with the IRS.  Institutions must now report to the IRS US taxpayers with overseas bank accounts.  Failure to report certain transactions to the Internal Revenue Service will result in a 30% withholding penalty.  FATCA’s intent is to lessen the ability to avoid paying US taxes.  But, it is also a major step in global Orwellian information sharing.  

Not long ago, U.S. Congress passed a major farm bill. While this proved to be a significant news item, one aspect of the bill that is likely to have repercussions in the world of the law of federal crimes went nearly unnoticed. As a result of this legislation being signed into law, it is now a federal crime to attend an animal fighting event.

According to reports, it had previously been a crime to charge those who organized dog fights, but the legislation will now provide federal law enforcement officials with the authority to charge anyone who simply attends these events.

In addition to making it illegal on a federal level to attend a dog fight, a person can also be charged for bringing a child under the age of 16 to an event. Of course, this would only create additional trouble for someone who is charged under the new law.

When a person is convicted on federal crimes that are a felony, there are a variety of legal consequences, some of which aren’t limited to prison time. For example, people convicted of a felony aren’t allowed to own a firearm. Simply owning a gun under these circumstances can result in serious criminal charges.

Rapper Gucci Mane, who is legally named Radric Davis, was recently struck with two counts of federal crimes for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. In total, Mane could spend 20 years in prison if he’s convicted and handed the maximum sentence.

According to police reports, Mane was charged on two counts as the result of two incidents involving different weapons. The rapper was arrested in Atlanta earlier this year after police received a tip from one of his friends. The police responded to the friend’s concerns that Mane was behaving strangely. When police arrived, the rapper threatened police and was found to be in possession of a gun.