First Conviction of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions For Tax Evasion Conspiracy

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On March 9, 2016, the IRS announced the first conviction of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions for tax evasion conspiracy. At Sherayzen Law Office, we have been predicting now for years that the IRS would expand its prosecution of financial institutions far beyond the Swiss borders, specifically pointing to tax shelters such as Cayman Islands. Now that our strategic analysis has been confirmed, it is important to analyze this first conviction of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions and its impact on U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed foreign accounts.

Factual Background of the First Conviction of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions

The first conviction of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions concerned two Cayman Island Financial Institutions, Cayman National Securities Ltd. (CNS) and Cayman National Trust Co. Ltd. (CNT). CNS and CNT were Cayman Island affiliates of Cayman National Corporation, which provided investment brokerage and trust management services to individuals and entities within and outside the Cayman Islands, including citizens and residents of the United States (U.S. taxpayers).

According to the IRS and documents filed in Manhattan federal court, from at least 2001 through 2011, CNS and CNT assisted certain U.S. taxpayers in evading their U.S. tax obligations to the IRS and otherwise hiding accounts held at CNS and CNT from the IRS (hereinafter, undeclared accounts). CNS and CNT did so by knowingly opening and maintaining undeclared accounts for U.S. taxpayers at CNS and CNT. Specifically, and among other things, CNS and CNT opened and encouraged many U.S. taxpayer-clients to open accounts held in the name of sham Caymanian companies and trusts (collectively, structures), thereby helping U.S. taxpayers conceal their beneficial ownership of the accounts. Furthermore, CNS and CNT treated these sham Caymanian structures as the account holders and allowed the U.S. beneficial owners of the accounts to trade in U.S. securities without ever requiring these U.S. persons to submit Form W-9. CNS failed to disclose to the IRS the identities of the U.S. beneficial owners who were trading in U.S. securities, in contravention of CNS’s obligations under its Qualified Intermediary Agreement (QIA) with the IRS.

At their high-water mark in 2009, these two Non-Swiss Financial Institutions (CNS and CNT) had approximately $137 million in assets under management relating to undeclared accounts held by U.S. taxpayer-clients. From 2001 through 2011, CNS and CNT earned more than $3.4 million in gross revenues from the undeclared U.S. taxpayer accounts that they maintained.

In 2008, after learning about the investigation of Swiss bank UBS AG (UBS) for assisting U.S. taxpayers to evade their U.S. tax obligations, these two Non-Swiss Financial Institutions (i.e. CNS and CNT) continued to knowingly maintain undeclared accounts for U.S. taxpayer-clients and did not begin to engage in any significant remedial efforts with respect to those accounts until 2011 and 2012.

In or about June 2011, CNT hired a new president, who spearheaded a review of CNT’s files. In the course of that review, not a single file was found to be complete and without tax or other issues. Moreover, with respect to the structures that had U.S. beneficial owners, CNT’s files contained little, if any, evidence of tax compliance.

Guilty Pleas of these Two Non-Swiss Financial Institutions

On March 9, 2016, both Non-Swiss Financial Institutions, CNS and CNT pleaded guilty to a criminal Information charging them with conspiring with many of their U.S. taxpayer-clients to hide more than $130 million in offshore accounts from the IRS and to evade U.S. taxes on the income earned in those accounts. CNS and CNT entered their guilty pleas pursuant to plea agreements.

As part of their plea agreements, CNS and CNT have agreed to cooperate fully with the IRS investigation of the companies’ criminal conduct. The IRS states that, to date, CNS and CNT have already made substantial efforts to cooperate with that investigation, including by: (1) facilitating interviews of CNS and CNT employees, including top level executives; (2) voluntarily producing documents in response to the IRS requests; (3) providing, in response to a treaty request, unredacted client files for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. taxpayer-clients who maintained accounts at CNS and CNT; and (4) committing to assist in responding to a treaty request that is expected to result in the production of unredacted client files for approximately 90 to 95 percent of the U.S. taxpayer-clients who maintained accounts at CNS and CNT.

In connection with their guilty pleas, CNS and CNT have also agreed to pay the United States a total of $6 million, which consists of the forfeiture of gross proceeds of their illegal conduct, restitution of the outstanding unpaid taxes from U.S. taxpayers who held undeclared accounts at CNS and CNT, and a fine.

Impact of the Guilty Pleas of Non-Swiss Financial Institutions on U.S. Taxpayers with Undeclared Foreign Accounts

The impact of the guilty pleas of these two Cayman Island Non-Swiss Financial Institutions is difficult to overstate. First, it becomes clear that the IRS feels confident that it can replicate its success in Switzerland in every offshore jurisdiction and there is no limit to their ability to uncover undeclared foreign accounts of U.S. taxpayers.

“Today’s convictions make clear that our focus is not on any one bank, insurance company or asset management firm, or even any one country,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “The Department and IRS are following the money across the globe – there are no safe havens for U.S. citizens engaged in tax evasion or those actively assisting them.”

Second, it is evident that the IRS strategy is to first force Non-Swiss Financial Institutions to reveal information about their U.S. clients and, then, using the information provided by these institutions, pursue noncompliant U.S. taxpayers. As part of their guilty pleas, CNS and CNT are required to turn over extensive materials about their U.S. clients and these noncompliant U.S. taxpayers should be preparing to face the full wrath of the IRS.

“The guilty pleas of these two Cayman Island companies today represent the first convictions of financial institutions outside Switzerland for conspiring with U.S. taxpayers to evade their lawful and legitimate taxes,” said U.S. Attorney Bharara. “The plea agreements require these Cayman entities to provide this office with the client files, because we are committed to finding and prosecuting not only banks that help U.S. taxpayers evade taxes, but also individual taxpayers who find criminal ways not to pay their fair share. We will follow them no matter how far they go to hide their accounts, whether it is Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, or some other tax haven.”

In essence, between FATCA and the constant IRS pressure on Non-Swiss Financial Institutions, the noncompliant U.S. taxpayers are in the constant danger of discovery, which now becomes more of a question of “when”, rather than “if”.

What Should U.S. Taxpayers With Undeclared Foreign Accounts Do?

In light of this development, U.S. taxpayers with undeclared foreign accounts in Non-Swiss Financial Institutions should explore their voluntary disclosure options as soon as possible. For this purpose, they should contact an experienced international tax law firm that specializes in this field.

Contact the Experienced International Tax Law Firm of Sherayzen Law Office, Ltd. for Professional Help With Your Undeclared Accounts

If you have undeclared foreign accounts, foreign income or foreign business entities, you are encouraged to contact the international tax law firm of Sherayzen Law Office as soon as possible. Our team of experienced tax professionals specializes in this area of law, including the preparation of all necessary legal documents and tax forms. We have helped hundreds of U.S. taxpayers around the world and we can help You!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement

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On February 4, 2016, the US DOJ announced that it filed criminal charges against Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. (“Julius Baer” or “the company”). At the same time, the DOJ announced a Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement. Let’s explore this event in more detail.

Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement Background

Unlike many other Swiss Banks, Julius Baer could not participate in the Swiss Bank Program due to its classification as a Category 1 bank. Hence, the Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement comes as an independent agreement with the DOJ after the DOJ filed criminal charges against Julius Baer.

According to the IRS and the court documents, from at least the 1990s through 2009, Julius Baer helped many of its U.S. taxpayer-clients evade their U.S. tax obligations, file false federal tax returns with the IRS and otherwise hide accounts held at Julius Baer from the IRS (hereinafter, undeclared accounts). Julius Baer did so by opening and maintaining undeclared accounts for U.S. taxpayers and by allowing third-party asset managers to open undeclared accounts for U.S. taxpayers at Julius Baer. Casadei and Frazzetto, bankers who worked as client advisers at Julius Baer, directly assisted various U.S. taxpayer-clients in maintaining undeclared accounts at Julius Baer in order to evade their obligations under U.S. law. At various times, Casadei, Frazzetto and others advised those U.S. taxpayer-clients that their accounts at Julius Baer would not be disclosed to the IRS because Julius Baer had a long tradition of bank secrecy and no longer had offices in the United States, making Julius Baer less vulnerable to pressure from U.S. law enforcement authorities than other Swiss banks with a presence in the United States.

Julius Baer was aware that many U.S. taxpayer-clients were maintaining undeclared accounts at Julius Baer in order to evade their U.S. tax obligations, in violation of U.S. law. In internal Julius Baer correspondence, undeclared accounts held by U.S. taxpayers were at times referred to as “black money,” “non W-9,” “tax neutral,” “unofficial,” or “sensitive” accounts.

At its high-water mark in 2007, Julius Baer had approximately $4.7 billion in assets under management relating to approximately 2,589 undeclared accounts held by U.S. taxpayer-clients. From 2001 through 2011, Julius Baer earned approximately $87 million in profit on approximately $219 million gross revenues from its undeclared U.S. taxpayer accounts, including accounts held through structures.

However, the IRS noted that the behavior of Julius Baer started to change. By at least 2008, Julius Baer began to implement institutional policy changes to cease providing assistance to U.S. taxpayers in violating their U.S. legal obligations. For example, by November 2008, the company began an “exit” plan for U.S. client accounts that lacked evidence of U.S. tax compliance. In that same month, Julius Baer imposed a prohibition on opening accounts for any U.S. clients without a Form W-9.

Additionally, in November 2009, before Julius Baer became aware of any U.S. investigation into its conduct, Julius Baer decided proactively to approach U.S. law enforcement authorities regarding its conduct relating to U.S. taxpayers. Prior to self-reporting to the Department of Justice, Julius Baer notified its regulator in Switzerland of its intention to contact U.S. law enforcement authorities. This Swiss regulator requested that Julius Baer not contact U.S. authorities in order not to prejudice the Swiss government in any bilateral negotiations with the United States on tax-related matters. Accordingly, Julius Baer did not, at that time, self-report to U.S. law enforcement authorities.

After ultimately engaging with U.S. authorities, Julius Baer has taken extensive actions to demonstrate acceptance and acknowledgment of responsibility for its conduct. Julius Baer conducted a swift and robust internal investigation, and furnished the U.S. government with a continuous flow of unvarnished facts gathered during the course of that internal investigation. As part of its cooperation, Julius Baer also, among other things, (1) successfully advocated in favor of a decision provided by the Swiss Federal Council in April 2012 to allow banks under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice to legally produce employee and third-party information to the department, and subsequently produced such information immediately upon issuance of that decision; and (2) encouraged certain employees, including specifically Frazzetto and Casadei, to accept responsibility for their participation in the conduct at issue and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement Details

Under the Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement, the bank admitted to helping U.S. taxpayers hide assets and knowingly assisted many of its U.S. taxpayer-clients in evading their tax obligations under U.S. law. The admissions are contained in a detailed Statement of Facts attached to the agreement. The agreement requires Julius Baer to pay a total of $547 million by no later than February 9, 2016, including through a parallel civil forfeiture action also filed today in the Southern District of New York.

Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement Impact on U.S. Taxpayers

The Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement signifies yet another IRS victory over the now-defeated Swiss bank secrecy system. The IRS is simply “mopping-up” the left-over issues in Switzerland as it shifts its focus to other major offshore tax havens. Yet, the Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement is still a major event that has repercussions for U.S. taxpayers with undeclared foreign accounts.

First, the Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement is likely to continue to impact former Julius Baer U.S. taxpayers who transferred their funds out of this Swiss bank to another country or another bank in the hopes of avoiding IRS detection of their prior non-compliance. Under the agreement, Julius Baer will continue to cooperate with the IRS in the identification of such noncompliant U.S. taxpayers.

Second, Julius Baer is an important Swiss bank and the fact that the Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement was reached encourages other noncompliant banks (not only in Switzerland, but other countries) to follow its example. Therefore, U.S. taxpayers who believe they are safe outside of Switzerland are now in the ever increasing danger of IRS detection.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help with Your Undeclared Foreign Accounts

The Julius Baer Deferred Prosecution Agreement is another reminder on how dangerous is the current tax environment for noncompliant U.S. taxpayers. Therefore, if you have not disclosed your foreign accounts, foreign assets or foreign income, please contact Sherayzen Law Office as soon as possible. Our team of tax professionals is highly experienced in handling these matters and we can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

No FBAR Penalty Option

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No FBAR Penalty is the result that every taxpayer wishes to achieve. Indeed, having no FBAR penalty is a realistic objective, but only in certain situations. One of such situations is currently offered by the IRS through Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures.

History of the IRS Procedures Regarding No FBAR Penalty Option

There is a relatively long history behind the option that taxpayers with delinquent FBARs would be charged no FBAR penalty. It comes from the traditional link between income tax noncompliance and the imposition of an FBAR penalty. Prior to 2009 OVDP, the No FBAR Penalty option was unofficial, but very much part of the IRS tradition in situations where a taxpayer would not have any additional U.S. tax liability as a result of his voluntary disclosure of foreign accounts.

The rules for the 2009 IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Programs (“2009 OVDP”) finally officially recognized the No FBAR Penalty option in the answer to Question #9. The FAQ #9 also for the first time properly stated the legal philosophy behind the No FBAR Penalty option: “The purpose for the voluntary disclosure practice is to provide a way for taxpayers who did not report taxable income in the past to voluntarily come forward and resolve their tax matters.” Hence, if a taxpayer “reported and paid tax on all taxable income but did not file FBARs, do not use the voluntary disclosure process.” Rather, the taxpayer was urged to file the FBARs directly with the explanation of why the FBARs were filed late.

Both, the 2011 IRS Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative (“2011 OVDI) and 2012 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“2012 OVDI) again reinforced the No FBAR Penalty with FAQ #17: “The IRS will not impose a penalty for the failure to file the delinquent FBARs if there are no underreported tax liabilities and you have not previously been contacted regarding an income tax examination or a request for delinquent returns.”

On June 18, 2014, with the creation of 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“2014 OVDP”), the IRS removed the 2014 OVDP FAQ #17 and replaced it the modern official No FBAR Penalty option called Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures.

No FBAR Penalty Option under the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures

Under the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, the IRS promises not to impose FBAR penalties for the failure to file the delinquent FBARs if three requirements are met: (1) the taxpayer properly reported on his U.S. tax returns (and paid all tax on) the income from the foreign financial accounts reported on the delinquent FBARs; (2) the IRS has not contacted the taxpayer previously regarding an income tax examination (civil or criminal) for the years for which the delinquent FBARs are submitted; and (3) the IRS has not previously requested from the taxpayer the FBARs for the years for the years for which the delinquent FBARs are submitted.

If all three requirements are met, the taxpayers can pursue Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures by filings the delinquent FBARs with FinCEN directly. A statement explaining why the FBARs are filed late must be provided to the IRS.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office to Explore Your No FBAR Penalty Options

Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures is probably one of the most popular No FBAR penalty options, but it is a limited one because it is not always possible to comply with all three of the formal requirements of the Procedures. Thankfully, these Procedures are not the only No FBAR Penalty Option offered by the IRS.

This is why, if you have undisclosed foreign accounts, you should contact the experienced international tax law firm of Sherayzen Law Office. We will thoroughly explore your case, analyze your No FBAR penalty and voluntary disclosure options, choose the disclosure route that best balances your risks and rewards, prepare all of the required legal documents and tax forms, and defend your case against the IRS. We have helped hundreds of U.S. taxpayers around the world and we can help You!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates

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The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates will remain the same for the. Third quarter begins on July 1, 2016 and ends on September 30, 2016) The Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates:

four (4) percent for overpayments [three (3) percent in the case of a corporation];
four (4) percent for underpayments;
six (6) percent for large corporate underpayments; and
1 and one-half (1.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis; therefore, US taxpayers and tax professionals should refer to IRS announcements of IRS interest rates on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points.

Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates are relevant for various reasons; among these reasons, three main uses stand out. First, these are the rates that will be used to charge an interest on any tax owed by a taxpayer. Second, these rates will be used to calculate the interest rate that the IRS owes with respect to tax refunds on the amended US tax returns.

Finally, Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates are relevant to PFIC default 1291 calculations. The PFIC tax that is levied on “excess distribution” is subject to IRS interest rates. Hence, if a PFIC’s holding period includes the third quarter of 2016, the tax attorney who calculates PFIC interest on the PFIC tax will need to use Third Quarter of 2016 IRS Interest Rates.

The IRS interest rates were stagnant at 3% for a very long time (from 2010 through first quarter of 2016). However, in the second quarter of 2016, the IRS raised the interest rates from 3% to 4% following the increase of the federal short-term rate from 0% to 1%. Sherayzen Law Office will continue to closely monitor the moves of the Federal Reserve to increase its interest rates in the future.

Experienced International Tax Law Firm of Sherayzen Law Office

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Most U.S. taxpayers who need international tax services look for an experienced international tax law firm to help them. Sherayzen Law Office, Ltd. is a highly experienced international tax law firm. In this essay, I will conduct the analysis explaining why Sherayzen Law Office is considered such an experienced international tax law firm.

Areas of Law Covered by an Experienced International Tax Law Firm

In order for a firm to be considered an experienced international tax law firm, it must have sufficient breadth of coverage of international law – i.e. a firm cannot be considered experienced if it only operates on the margins of international tax law. Sherayzen Law Office covers the full range of areas of international tax law, including: Offshore Voluntary Disclosures (all types – OVDP (now closed),  Streamlined Domestic Offshore Procedures, Streamlined Foreign Offshore Procedures, Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures, Noisy Disclosures and Reasonable Cause Disclosures); Annual International Compliance with respect to PFICs (Form 8621), foreign business ownership (5471, 8865, 8858, et cetera), foreign business transactions (926 and other related forms) and ownership of foreign accounts (FBAR, Form 8938, et cetera); Foreign Gifts and Inheritance (Form 3520), Beneficiary and/or Owner of a Foreign Trust (Form 3520 and 3520-A); Anti-Deferral Regimes (PFICs, Subpart F rules, et cetera); full domestic compliance (1040, 1065, 1120, et cetera); tax withholding; International Tax Planning; FATCA compliance; and numerous other areas and sub-areas of international tax law.

Furthermore, Sherayzen Law Office helps clients with IRS audits (including FBAR audits), IRS Appeals, and tax court appeals.

The expertise developed by Sherayzen Law Office covers both legal and accounting aspects of international tax law. This means that this is one of the few law firms in the United States where a client’s U.S. legal and accounting needs are fully met without the expense and inconvenience of involving third parties.

Experienced International Tax Law Firm and its Clients

Sherayzen Law Office is an experienced international tax law firm not only because it is in this business for more than 10 years, but also because, during this period of time, it has helped hundreds of U.S. taxpayers throughout the world to resolve their U.S. international tax matters. While a minority of our clients belong to middle class, the majority of our clients consist of the upper middle-class and high-net-worth individuals (including owners of foreign and domestic businesses) with highly complex international tax issues.

Countries Covered by an Experienced International Tax Law Firm

The breadth of the geographical experience is one of the most important characteristics of an experienced international tax law firm. Sherayzen Law Office is proud to state that it has worked with U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts and/or assets in countries in all continents inhabited by humans: North America (Canada, Mexico and the United States), Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama – geographically, part of the North American continent), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia), the Caribbean region (Bahamas, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Cayman Islands), Europe (Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom), Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Turkey and United Arab Emirates – geographically part of Asia), Australia, New Zealand, Africa (Cote D’Ivore, Ethiopia, Morocco and Nigeria), and Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand).

Such a broad geographical spread qualifies Sherayzen Law Office as one of the most experienced international tax law firms in the United States.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help with Your International Tax Issues

U.S. international tax law is extremely complex with numerous reporting requirements and traps for the unwary. This is why you need to make sure that you have the right team of international tax professionals on your side, especially for the purpose of voluntary disclosure of your foreign accounts and income. Sherayzen Law Office is your best choice; our international tax firm is highly knowledgeable and experienced in international tax law and we can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!