Businessman Jailed for Using Nevis Bank Account to Conceal Income

/in , /by

On May 7, 2014, the IRS and the DOJ announced the Robert C. Sathre was sentenced to serve thirty-six months in federal prison for tax evasion; Mr. Sathre was also ordered to pay $3,113,882 in restitution to the IRS and to serve three years of supervised release. Sathre pleaded guilty on February 26, 2014, to willfully evading the payment of his 1995 and 1996 tax liability.

Facts of the Case

According to court documents and proceedings, Mr. Sathre sold a Minnesota business and received installment payments in 1995 and 1996 of more than $3 million. Mr. Sathre concealed his income by filing a 1995 tax return in which he reported only $64,928 in total income. Mr. Sathre then purchased land and set up another business, a gas station and convenience store in Sheridan, Wyoming, known as the Rock Stop.

According to the DOJ, Mr. Sathre concealed assets by opening a foreign bank account in the Caribbean island of Nevis and by using purported trusts. During the ten-month period during 2005-2006, Mr. Sathre sent over $500,000 to the account in Nevis to keep the funds out of reach from the IRS. When Mr. Sathre sold the Rock Stop in 2007, he wired over $1,250,000 from the sale proceeds to the trust account of a Wyoming law firm. He later directed the law firm to wire $900,000 from the trust account to his account at the Bank of Nevis. Mr. Sathre also provided a false declaration and false promissory note to the Bank of Nevis to conceal the source of this transfer and obtained a debit card linked to the foreign account to access funds locally. In addition, Mr. Sathre provided the Bank of Sheridan with an IRS form on which he falsely claimed that he was neither a citizen nor a resident of the United States.

Analysis of Relevant Facts

The first interesting detail here is the period of time involved – 1995 and 1996. This is something to keep in mind for U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed offshore accounts – the IRS can look beyond the three- and six-year statutes of limitations in certain cases involving fraud and other criminal conduct.

Second, this seems to be one of the cases that would not have come out had the defendant not broken the U.S. tax laws again. It appears that the under-reporting on the 1995 and 1996 returns was not detected originally. However, when Mr. Sathre appears to have engaged in tax evasion with the second sale of Rock Stop in 2007 and commenced to transfer money to Nevis, he must have triggered an IRS investigation.

In fact, this case is an excellent illustration of the difference in the international tax enforcement between the pre-2001 period (i.e. prior to the IRS enforcement of FBAR and the DOJ campaign to enforce U.S. tax laws internationally) and the post-2001 period, especially after the UBS case and FATCA global enforcement.

Finally, as in many other criminal cases involving foreign accounts, the engagement in complex planning (i.e. using foreign trusts) to conceal the transaction must have greatly contributed to the decision by the IRS and the DOJ to pursue criminal penalties.

A Warning to U.S. Taxpayers with Undisclosed Nevis Bank Accounts

The Sathre case should be considered a warning to the U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed Nevis bank accounts. The IRS was able to retrace all of the transactions between the United States and Nevis. With FATCA global enforcement gaining steam, it is highly important for these taxpayers to realize that their undisclosed Nevis bank accounts may be discovered by the IRS and it may happen soon.

The consequences of such an investigation by the IRS may be grave as the present Sathre case demonstrates: large monetary penalties and incarceration.

This is why it is highly important for U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed Nevis Bank accounts to consider their voluntary disclosure options as soon as possible. My strong suggestion is to retain an international tax lawyer for this process.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Help With the Voluntary Disclosure of Your Nevis Bank Accounts

If you have an undisclosed Nevis bank account, contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help. Our international tax law firm is highly experienced in the matters of offshore voluntary disclosures. We have helped hundreds of taxpayers around the world and we can help you!

Contact Us to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation Now!

Attorney Jailed for Helping Hide Money for Clients at Their Swiss Bank Accounts

/in , /by

On March 18, 2014, the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice announced the California attorney Christopher M. Rusch was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison for helping his clients Mr. Stephen M. Kerr and Mr. Michael Quiel, both businessmen from Phoenix, hide millions of dollars in secret Swiss bank accounts at UBS AG and Pictet & Cie. Additionally, U.S. District Judge James A. Teilborg also ordered Rusch to serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

The sentencing following the February 6, 2013, Mr. Rusch guilty plea to conspiracy to defraud US government and failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel were sentenced in September of 2013 to each serve 10 months in prison after both were tried and convicted of filing false income tax returns for 2007 and 2008. The jury also convicted Mr. Kerr of failing to file FBARs for 2007 and 2008 (with respect to the Swiss bank accounts).

Facts of the Case

According to the DOJ, Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel, with the assistance of Mr. Rusch and others (including Swiss nationals) established nominee foreign entities and corresponding bank accounts in Switzerland to conceal Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel’s ownership and control of stock and income they deposited in these accounts. Mr. Rusch testified at trial, admitting that he and others caused the sale of the shares of stock through the undeclared accounts.

Rusch further testified that, at Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel’s direction, he transferred some of the money in the secret accounts back to the United States through Mr. Rusch’s Interest on Lawyer’s Trust Account before dispersing the money for Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel’s benefit, including the purchase of a multi-million dollar golf course in Erie, Colorado. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, with Mr. Rusch’s assistance, Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel each failed to report more than $ 4,600,000 and $2,000,000 of income, respectively, during 2007 and 2008 which they hid in the undeclared accounts with Mr. Rusch’s assistance.

IRS and DOJ Continue Pursuit of US Tax Advisors for US Taxpayers with Undisclosed Swiss Bank Accounts

Since the 2008 UBS case victory, the IRS and the DOJ have been continuously increasing the pressure on the US and foreign tax advisors who help their US clients hide money in offshore accounts, particularly Swiss bank accounts.

“This prosecution serves notice that the Department of Justice will not tolerate fraudulent activity designed to undermine the integrity of our income tax system,” said U.S. Attorney John S. Leonardo for the District of Arizona.

“Today, Mr. Rusch has been held accountable for his actions in assisting wealthy individuals hide millions of dollars in secret offshore bank accounts and dodge the tax system,” said Chief of IRS-Criminal Investigation Richard Weber. “In addition, Mr. Rusch used his attorney trust account to funnel money from the secret offshore accounts back to Mr. Kerr and Mr. Quiel for their personal benefit, including the purchase of a multi-million dollar golf course. As the investigation into offshore tax evasion continues, Criminal Investigation will leave no financial stone unturned as we continue to vigorously pursue new leads.”

Top Three Lessons from Rusch Case

Mr. Rusch has committed three “cardinal sins” of tax advising. First, he helped his clients in their pursuit of tax evasions. Second, he used the nominee corporate structures to help his clients evade taxes, thereby tinting the first sin with additional degree of consciousness, willfulness and complexity, providing the IRS with an additional incentive to pursue criminal charges. Finally, Mr. Rusch abused his position as an attorney with a client trust account (which is an ethical violation in addition to legal violation).

The combination of these factors really hurt the Mr. Rusch’s case and provide the IRS and the DOJ with ample ammunition to pursue criminal charges. Of course, the fact that Swiss bank accounts were involved only aggravated Mr. Rusch’s already difficult legal position.

Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts After the Non-Prosecution Agreement

/in , /by

Liechtenstein offshore accounts no longer offer to U.S. taxpayers the bank secrecy protection for which they were famous for a very long time prior to 2008. In fact, after the Non-Prosecution Agreement between the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, after the passage of the 2012 tax law in Liechtenstein, and after achieving the agreement in substance with respect to the implementation of FATCA on April 2, 2014, one can say that Liechtenstein offshore accounts are no longer the tax haven for U.S. taxpayers.

This article explores the substance of the Non-Prosecution Agreement between the DOJ and Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG with respect to Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts, the FATCA triumph in Liechtenstein, and the generally recommended course of action for the U.S. taxpayers with still undisclosed Liechtenstein offshore accounts.

Non-Prosecution Agreement with Respect to Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts

On July 30, 2013, the DOJ and the IRS Criminal Investigation until announced that they reached a non-prosecution agreement (“NPA”) with Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG, a bank based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein (“LLB-Vaduz”). Under the Agreement, LLB-Vaduz agreed to pay more than $23.8 million to the United States (a sum of forfeiture of $16,316,000, representing the total gross revenues that it earned in maintaining these undeclared accounts, and $7,525,542 in restitution to the IRS) and turned over more than 200 files of U.S. taxpayers who held undeclared Liechtenstein offshore accounts at LLB-Vaduz, directly or through sham corporations, foundations or trusts (“structures”).

Moreover, as part of the NPA, LLB-Vaduz admitted various facts concerning its wrongful conduct and the remedial measures that it took to cease that conduct. Specifically, LLB-Vaduz admitted that it knew certain U.S. taxpayers were maintaining undeclared accounts at LLB-Vaduz in order to evade their U.S. tax obligations, in violation of U.S. law. In addition, LLB-Vaduz admitted that it knew of the high probability that other U.S. taxpayers who held undeclared Liechtenstein offshore accounts did so for the same unlawful purpose because significant numbers of U.S. taxpayers employed structures to hold their Liechtenstein offshore accounts , instructed LLB-Vaduz to use code names or numbers to refer to them on account statements and other bank documents, instructed LLB-Vaduz not to mail such documents to them in the United States, and instructed LLB-Vaduz not to disclose their identity to the IRS, among other things. According to the DOJ, at the end of 2006, LLB-Vaduz held more than $340 million of undeclared assets on behalf of U.S. taxpayers in more than 900 Liechtenstein offshore accounts .

Furthermore, under the NPA, LLB-Vaduz was obligated to continue to cooperate with the United States for at least three years from the date of the agreement.

Finally, though it does not appear to be part of the formal Agreement, LLB-Vaduz has decided to close its wholly-owned Swiss subsidiary, Liechtensteinische Landesbank (Switzerland) Ltd. and has also decided to sell another wholly-owned subsidiary, Jura Trust AG.

In return, under the NPA, the DOJ and the IRS promised that LLB-Vaduz will not be criminally prosecuted for opening and maintaining undeclared Liechtenstein offshore accounts for U.S. taxpayers from 2001 through 2011, when LLB-Vaduz assisted a significant number of U.S. taxpayers in evading their U.S. tax obligations, filing false federal tax returns with the IRS and otherwise hiding Liechtenstein offshore accounts held at LLB-Vaduz from the IRS.

Lesson of the NPA for the Foreign Banks

The NPA with LLB-Vaduz contains a lot of lessons for foreign banks on how to deal with past misconduct with respect to undeclared foreign accounts. The DOJ specifically acknowledged the following factors:

LLB-Vaduz’s voluntary implementation of various remedial measures beginning in June 2008, before the investigation of its conduct began;

LLB-Vaduz’s voluntary cooperation with this Office and the government of Liechtenstein after becoming aware of this Office’s investigation;

LLB-Vaduz’s willingness to continue to cooperate with this Office and the IRS to the extent permitted by applicable law;

LLB-Vaduz’s substantial support for the 2012 Law, which has already permitted the production to the Department of Justice of more than 200 account files of U.S. taxpayers who held undeclared accounts at LLB-Vaduz;

LLB-Vaduz’s representation, based on an investigation by external counsel, that the misconduct under investigation did not, and does not, extend beyond that described in the statement of facts;

The point of cooperation was emphasized by the Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally: “this non-prosecution agreement addresses the past wrongful conduct of LLB-Vaduz in allowing U.S. taxpayers to evade their legal obligations through the use of undisclosed Liechtenstein bank accounts, while also acknowledging the extraordinary efforts of the bank in bringing about significant changes in Liechtenstein law.”

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara concurred in the following statement: “Today’s agreement with Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG reflects the unprecedented nature of the bank’s cooperation… .”

In its press release, the DOJ recognized that, in 2008, before the IRS and the U.S. Attorney’s Office began the investigation, LLB-Vaduz voluntarily implemented a series of remedial measures to stop assisting undeclared U.S. taxpayers in evading federal income taxes. The DOJ also emphasized LLB-Vaduz’s extraordinary cooperation in the form of its support and assistance in 2012 to obtain a change in law by the Liechtenstein Parliament that permitted the Department of Justice to request and obtain the bank files of non-compliant U.S. taxpayers from Liechtenstein without having to identify the taxpayers by name (the “2012 Law”).

So, a foreign bank that discovers potential U.S. tax non-compliance should be proactive in its conduct, document well its efforts to do due diligence, use an independent counsel to investigate the potential non-compliance, and report such non-compliance to the IRS to the extent permitted by the local law.

Impact of the NPA on US Taxpayers with Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts

The DOJ and the IRS have made it clear – the NPA applies only to LLB-Vaduz and not to any of its subsidiaries or any individuals. Therefore, U.S. Taxpayers with undeclared Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts are not protected by the NPA.

Developments Since the NPA Relevant to US Taxpayers with Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts

Two developments since the NPA are particularly relevant to U.S. Taxpayers with undeclared Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts. First, pursuant to the 2012 Law in Liechtenstein, the Department of Justice submitted a second request to the Liechtenstein government for records relating to various Liechtenstein firms that provided trust administration and other fiduciary services that enabled U.S. taxpayers to hold undeclared accounts through structures at banks in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and elsewhere.

Second, on April 2, 2014, the DOJ and the IRS confirmed that Liechtenstein and the United states have reached an agreement in substance with respect to the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”).

US Taxpayers with Liechtenstein Offshore Accounts Should Immediately Consider Their Voluntary Disclosure Options.

The NPA, combined with the second request for records and FATCA implementation agreement, presents a potentially highly damaging threat to U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed Liechtenstein offshore accounts. At this point, these taxpayers are under a very high probability of detection and are well-advised to consider their voluntary disclosure options in order to reduce the possibility of criminal prosecution.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With Your Offshore Voluntary Disclosure

If you have undeclared foreign accounts in Liechtenstein or any other foreign country, contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help. Our experienced team of international tax professionals can help you with its thorough analysis of your case and the available voluntary disclosure options. We can then implement these voluntary disclosure strategies for you and vigorously defend your case against the IRS.

Contact Us to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation NOW!

IRS Pursuit of Mizrahi Bank Clients Gains Steam

/in , /by

It is well-known that the IRS is in hot pursuit of U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed bank accounts in Mizrahi Bank. There have been a number of victories that the IRS has scored against Mizrahi Bank clients. The latest example of this is the case of Monajem Hakimijoo who plead guilty on February 13, 2014.

According to court documents, Mr. Hakimijoo, a U.S. citizen, and his brother maintained an undeclared bank account in Israel at Mizrahi Bank in the name of Kalamar Enterprises, a Turks and Caicos Islands entity they used to conceal their ownership of the account. Mr. Hakimijoo and his brother used the funds in the Kalamar account as collateral for back-to-back loans obtained from the Los Angeles branch of Mizrahi Bank. Although Mr. Hakimijoo and his brother claimed the interest paid on the back-to-back loans as a business deduction for federal tax purposes, they failed to report the interest income earned in their undeclared, Israel-based account as income on their tax returns. In total, Mr. Hakimijoo failed to report approximately $282,000 in interest income. The highest balance in the Kalamar Enterprises account was approximately $4,030,000.

As further described in the release by the U.S. DOJ, in March 2013, Mr. Hakimijoo was scheduled to be interviewed by Justice Department attorneys and IRS special agents. Prior to the interview, Mr. Mr. Hakimijoo, through counsel, provided the attorneys and special agents with copies of his amended tax returns for 2004 and 2005. When asked if the amended tax returns had been filed with the IRS, Mr. Hakimijoo indicated that the returns had been filed. Shortly thereafter, the IRS determined there was no record of the amended returns being filed with the IRS. When Mr. Hakimijoo was asked to provide copies of cancelled checks to prove that the taxes reflected on the amended returns had been paid, none were provided.

Points of Interest of the Mr. Hakimijoo Case

Several features are prominent in this case. First, the Mizrahi Bank account in question was not in Switzerland, but Israel itself. This is one more example of the IRS interest in countries other than Switzerland. Israel is an obvious target, but it appears that it will not take long for the IRS to expand into the neighboring country of Lebanon.

Second, it seems incredible that Mr. Hakimijoo would engage in such reckless conduct as to gamble on the IRS not finding out that he has not filed the amended tax returns. Equally puzzling is the fact that the guilty plea did not involve any type of a false statement charge.

Finally, unfortunately for Mr. Hakimijoo, the facts of his case were greatly influenced by the use of an entity to conceal the ownership of the Mizrahi Bank account.

U.S. Taxpayers with Undisclosed Accounts in Israel Should Do Some Type of Voluntary Disclosure

Mr. Hakimijoo is the latest in a series of defendants charged in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California with concealing undeclared bank accounts in Israel that were used to obtain back-to-back loans in the United States. It is unlikely that the IRS will relent its pursuit at this point given the wealth of information that has been collected through the IRS voluntary disclosure programs as well as the Swiss voluntary disclosure program for banks.

The biggest lesson for U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed accounts in Israel and Mizrahi Bank specifically is that the IRS will not limit itself to Switzerland. Hence, there is a great urgency for these taxpayers to commence the analysis of their voluntary disclosure options as soon as possible. Some options may still be open if these taxpayers come forward now; these options may be closed once the taxpayer is subject to an IRS investigation.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Experienced Professional Help with Your Voluntary Disclosure

If you are a U.S. person who has (or had at any point since 2007) undisclosed bank or financial accounts in Israel and any other foreign country, you should contact Sherayzen Law Office as soon as possible for professional help. Our experienced international tax law firm has helped taxpayers throughout the world with their voluntary disclosures and we can help you.

Call Us to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation NOW!

IRS Increases Use of John Doe Summons for Unreported Offshore Bank Accounts

/in , /by

Some time ago, in a joint statement before the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the United States Senate for a hearing on “Offshore Tax Evasion: The Effort to Collect Unpaid Taxes on Billions in Offshore Accounts”, Deputy US Attorney General James M. Cole and Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, Kathryn Keneally detailed a number of enforcement actions targeting US taxpayers with undisclosed foreign bank accounts and the foreign banks in question.

The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Justice utilize various tools to track and hold accountable individuals who evade their taxes and reporting obligations by sheltering money in undisclosed foreign bank accounts. One important law enforcement mechanism that has led to much success in gathering information about foreign accounts has been the use of John Doe summons. The IRS defines a John Doe summons as “[A]ny summons where the name of the taxpayer under investigation is unknown and therefore not specifically identified.” A John Doe summons, if authorized, allows the IRS request the identities of U.S. taxpayers who may have offshore bank accounts.

If you are an individual subject to U.S. taxes and you have an undisclosed foreign bank account, you should be aware that the odds are increasing each year that the IRS will eventually determine your identity. The penalties for not disclosing a foreign bank account are severe; if you have such an account you should seek the advice of a tax attorney. The experienced international tax law firm of Sherayzen Law Office, Ltd. can assist you in these important matters.

John Doe Summons and Other Enforcement Mechanisms

In a previous article, we covered the IRS John Doe summons seeking records of the correspondent account at Wells Fargo for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB), a Barbados-based bank with branches in eighteen Caribbean countries. The IRS has been utilizing John Doe summons frequently and will likely increase its use in the future. For example, in a recent high-profile case, the federal district court for the Southern District of New York entered an order authorizing the IRS to issue a John Doe summons seeking records for Wegelin Bank’s U.S. correspondent account at the Swiss bank, UBS.

According to the joint statement, on November 13, 2013, the same court, “[E]ntered an order authorizing the IRS to issue John Doe summonses seeking records of the Zurcher Kantonalbank and its affiliates (collectively ZKB) correspondent accounts at Bank of New York Mellon and Citibank NA for information relating to U.S. taxpayers holding undisclosed accounts in ZKB.” Several days later the court also issued an order that authorized the IRS to issue John Doe summonses seeking correspondent account records held by the Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited and its affiliates in the Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Malta, Switzerland and the United Kingdom at Bank of New York Mellon, Citibank NA, HSBC Bank NA, JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, and Bank of America NA.

In the joint statement, it was also noted that the DOJ has also “[E]nforced summonses and subpoenas for records that account holders are required to maintain concerning their foreign banking activities through the successful litigation of the applicability of the ‘required record’ exception to the production privilege under the Fifth Amendment.” The statement notes that every appellate court that has reviewed the issue has, “[R]ejected the argument that witnesses can refuse to comply with a subpoena for the bank records that are required by law to be kept and presented for inspection as a condition of maintaining an offshore account.”

Impact on U.S. Taxpayers with Undisclosed Foreign Accounts

John Doe Summons constitute a very useful technique for the IRS to find non-complying U.S. taxpayers with undisclosed foreign accounts. It is important to keep in mind that the enforcement mechanisms detailed in this article are in addition to other programs, such as the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program and the US-Switzerland Bank Disclosure program, among others. Moreover, with the continuous expansion of FATCA enforcement, the non-complying U.S. taxpayers are now running a very high risk of detection by the IRS.

The consequences for these non-complying U.S. taxpayers can be very grave. There are extremely high civil penalties as well as potential criminal penalties that may be applied in such cases.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help with Your Offshore Voluntary Disclosure

The analysis above means that, if you are a U.S. taxpayer with an undisclosed offshore bank account, you need to consider your voluntary disclosure options as soon as possible.

We can help you. At Sherayzen Law Office, Mr. Eugene Sherayzen an experienced international tax attorney will thoroughly analyze your case, estimate your potential FBAR exposure, create a plan for your voluntary disclosure and implement it (i.e. we will prepare all of the tax forms and legal documents that you need for the voluntary disclosure). We will guide you every step of the way and offer rigorous ethical representation before the IRS.

Contact Us to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation Now!