Whistleblower Lawyer Blog

One of the most interesting and challenging issues in representing IRS whistleblowers is how this promising new IRS Whistleblower Program can co-exist with the limits Congress has imposed on disclosure of taxpayer information--which includes what the IRS does in pursuing claims brought by whistleblowers.

I wanted to pass along that Michelle M. Kwon, Assistant Professor of Law at Texas Tech Law School, has written a law review article about this subject. It discusses recommendations for allowing information to be shared more with whistleblowers by "relaxing" the restrictions of section 6103, "Confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information."

As Professor Kwon writes:

There is a tension between protecting taxpayer privacy and effectively administering the enhanced IRS whistleblower program. Section 6103 generally would prohibit the IRS from disclosing to the whistleblower the status of the whistleblower’s claim, including whether the taxpayer is, has been, or will be under audit as a result of the whistleblower’s information, why a claim is rejected or denied, or the basis of any eventual award. Furthermore, when Congress enhanced the whistleblower law in 2006, it contemplated that the IRS may seek additional assistance from the whistleblower, presumably to help build a case against the delinquent taxpayer. The ability of the whistleblower to assist the IRS may be hampered, however, to the extent that Section 6103 prohibits the IRS from sharing confidential tax information with the whistleblower. Finally, the new law gives whistleblowers the right to appeal IRS award determinations to the Tax Court. But there are questions about how meaningful that appeal right can be given the restrictions imposed by Section 6103.

Issues concerning how section 6103 will impact IRS whistleblowers are among those to be addressed at the 2010 IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp, which will build on the successes of last year's inaugural IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp.

We have written about the highly successful 2009 IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. The IRS Whistleblower Office gathered with attorneys representing whistleblowers for this conference to discuss in detail many of the issues that arise in representing IRS whistleblowers, persons who report tax fraud or tax noncompliance. This conference is sponsored by Taxpayers Against Fraud.

Planning for the 2010 IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp on April 27, 2010 in Washington is underway, and it should be at least as successful and informative as last year's.

Based on our experience in representing whistleblowers, the new IRS Whistleblower Program is off to a great start since Congress authorized the creation of the IRS Whistleblower Office in December 2006. As we have written about continuously in following the progress of the new program, the Whistleblower Office staff has been working diligently not only to set up procedures for handling claims, but also in processing the hundreds of submissions it has received.

Once the agenda is set for the 2010 IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp, we will say more about the details. At a time when deficits are exploding, the need to catch tax cheats is greater than ever.

Since Congress authorized new awards to IRS whistleblowers in December 2006, we have followed closely the progress of the new IRS Whistleblower Office led by Director Stephen Whitlock.

IRS Whistleblower Office Director Stephen Whitlock has just announced that the IRS Whistleblower Office is preparing to make award determinations on whistleblower claims submitted under the "new" rewards program.

The IRS Whistleblower Office (and no doubt the IRS Chief Counsel's Office) have been working on "guidance" for determining the amount of awards within the range authorized by law.

We have written extensively on many of the issues that have arisen and will arise in handling IRS Whistleblower claims. Recent multi-million dollar payments apparently relate to claims under the "old" program. Those payments are encouraging signs of the success of the new program, which authorizes a higher range of awards of 15-30% of the recovery by the IRS.

Tax Analysts reported on Director Whitlock's comments at the recent ABA meeting.

We are encouraged that the steady progress of the IRS Whistleblower Office continues, as this promises to be an extremely successful program to discourage tax cheats. Only meaningful rewards to whistleblowers will accomplish that goal.

Continue reading "IRS Whistleblower Office Prepares to Make Awards to IRS Whistleblowers Under New Program" »

How does the IRS treat whistleblowers who receive awards under the False Claims Act's "qui tam" provisions, which allow private citizens who expose fraud to share in the government's recovery of money?

The Tax Court this week addressed that question. It held that awards to whistleblowers or "relators" are part of "gross income" and thus are taxable, but that the whistleblower nonetheless may deduct the attorney's fees paid as a miscellaneous itemized deduction.

Thus, no income taxes were owed on that portion of the whistleblower's award that was paid as attorney's fees to the whistleblower's attorney.

This result not only makes sense, but also is consistent with precedent. Since the whistleblower would have had no recovery but for the attorney's efforts, it would be unfair to conclude otherwise.

The case is ALBERT D. CAMPBELL, Petitioner, v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, decided January 21, 2010. It is reprinted below:

Continue reading "Taxation of Qui Tam Whistleblower Awards by IRS Addressed by Tax Court " »

In "Protecting Whistleblowers from Criminal Prosecution," we expressed our amazement at how UBS "whistleblower" Brad Birkenfeld got himself prosecuted for a federal felony while attempting to set himself up for rewards through the new IRS Whistleblower Program. Birkenfeld's case is highlighted in recent articles by Lynnley Browning in Friday's New York Times and by Martha Brannigan in Saturday's Miami Herald.

To attorneys with prosecution experience who represent whistleblowers, it is shocking that Birkenfeld apparently missed a clear opportunity to avoid prosecution altogether by simply "coming clean" and telling the whole truth about his own actions at the outset.

We have a much different take on Birkenfeld's case than those who suggest it should scare away potential IRS whistleblowers. Whistleblowers who are willing to tell the truth from the start can easily avoid Birkenfeld's fate, so long as they listen to advice from experienced counsel. At the same time, we take issue with critics who say Birkenfeld should not even be considered for an IRS Whistleblower reward, since the "rule of law" should determine the answer to that question.

First, Birkenfeld's case should make other potential IRS whistleblowers careful about pursuing IRS whistleblower claims, but not fearful. Most IRS whistleblowers face no realistic chance of prosecution, especially since the government often must depend on whistleblower information to make cases.

Even those relatively few whistleblowers with possible exposure such as Birkenfeld (who admitted to engaging in a tax fraud scheme) can often negotiate protection from prosecution, but only if they tell the whole truth from the start, and follow the rules for obtaining protection. This was a topic in the "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp" panel discussion that I led this past March, with panelists including IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock--how to protect the whistleblower who has potential exposure.

Why Birkenfeld apparently thought he could get away with withholding information from the government about his own wrongdoing--a foolish move to us--remains a mystery, even after we reviewed his sentencing transcript. That horrendous judgment call distinguishes Birkenfeld's case from all other whistleblower cases we have seen.

At Birkenfeld's sentencing, prosecutor Kevin Downing explained that Birkenfeld's information was extremely valuable to the IRS, and that Birkenfeld probably would not have been prosecuted had he simply been forthcoming by disclosing his own misconduct in assisting tax evasion:

"BUT FOR MR. BIRKENFELD FAILING TO DISCLOSE HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE FRAUD AND THE U.S. CLIENTS THAT HE AIDED AND ASSISTED IN TAX EVASION, I BELIEVE WE WELL WOULD HAVE NONPROSECUTED MR. BIRKENFELD. BUT GIVEN THE FACT THAT HE REFUSED TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION AND LED US DOWN A COURSE WHERE WE HAD TO START [TO] INVESTIGATE MR. BIRKENFELD AND HIS ACTIVITIES, THAT IS WHY WE ARE HERE TODAY, THAT IS WHY HE WAS INDICTED, AND THAT'S WHY HE PLED." (Birkenfeld Sentencing Tr. 12-13)(emphasis supplied).

Continue reading "IRS Whistleblower Rewards to Convicted UBS Whistleblower Birkenfeld? The Rule of Law Will Sort It Out." »

We have followed with great interest the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program, especially after the UBS settlement created fear of discovery in many U.S. taxpayers with offshore accounts.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman announced that the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program was flooded with submissions by more than 14,000 taxpayers, according to the Wall Street Journal.

IRS Whistleblower cases have been impacted--and in some cases probably pre-empted--by the submissions of recalcitrant taxpayers to the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program. The IRS Criminal Investigative Division in certain areas has been inundated.

It will be fascinating to see the progress of IRS recoveries as a result of these voluntary disclosures by taxpayers.

Since the Madoff and Stanford schemes proved ruinous to so many investors, many have asked why the SEC has no meaningful "whistleblower" program to expose wrongdoing, a topic we have written about previously.

Perhaps Harry Markopolis' voice is finally being heard, albeit faintly. Last week, the House Financial Services Committee approved legislation that would expand both whistleblower rewards and whistleblower protections, among other things.

Still, past experience with the False Claims Act and the IRS Whistleblower statute shows that the proposed rewards need to be beefed up to be effective.

The “Investor Protection Act of 2009” (excerpted below) also would increase the SEC’s budget and make other changes designed to strengthen enforcement.

The new rewards to whistleblowers would be up to 30% of monetary sanctions of more than $1 million:

"In any judicial or administrative action brought by the Commission under the securities laws that results in monetary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000, the Commission, under regulations prescribed by the Commission and subject to subsection (b), may pay an award or awards not exceeding an amount equal to 30 percent, in total, of the monetary sanctions imposed in the action or related actions to one or more whistleblowers who voluntarily provided original information to the Commission that led to the successful enforcement of the action."

The proposed new whistleblower rewards are reminiscent of those under the new IRS Whistleblower Program, but need at least two corrections to be effective.

First, the current SEC bill creates no enforceable "right" to a reward--a defect that made the old IRS Whistleblower statute ineffective before it was amended in December 2006.

Second, there should be a minimum percentage of perhaps 15% for the SEC rewards; it should not be left at 0-30%, as the bill now reads. Who would risk a 1% (or even lower) reward? The False Claims Act only became effective after 1986 amendments increased rewards to at least 15% in most cases. The new IRS Whistleblower law is attracting whistleblowers left and right because it provides for a minimum of 15% in most instances.

The proposed SEC law has one advantage over the IRS version: The IRS law unfortunately omits protection of whistleblowers from retaliation, but the proposed SEC whistleblower provisions would provide a remedy similar to that furnished whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. Here is what the proposed bill states (in part):

"An employee, contractor, or agent prevailing in any action brought under subparagraph (B) shall be entitled to all relief necessary to make that employee, contractor, or agent whole, including reinstatement with the same seniority status that the employee, contractor, or agent would have had, but for the discrimination, 2 times the amount of back pay, with interest, and compensation for any special damages sustained as a result of the discrimination, including litigation costs, expert witness fees, and reasonable attorneys' fees."

The bill's proposed SEC whistleblower language is below; the entire bill may be found here:

Continue reading "New SEC Whistleblower Rewards and Whistleblower Protections Approved by House Committee--But Improvements Are Needed" »

We wrote yesterday about the just-released report on the new IRS Whistleblower Program by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The "rest of the story" should be told.

Some history is essential to evaluate how far the handling of whistleblower (or "informant") claims has progressed since the newly created IRS Whistleblower Office was formed in early 2007, and what is still needed.

Although information provided by whistleblowers is extremely effective in exposing fraud, before 2006 Congress had not authorized an effective IRS whistleblower rewards program--and some in Congress affirmatively opposed one.

Some of this history is described in a 2006 report by TIGTA, which helped prompt Congress to create the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program. That 2006 report described the value of informant claims--and also the absence of any centralized process within the IRS for coordinating those claims. It described what the new IRS Whistleblower Office Director and still-to-be-hired staff would inherit in February 2007.

First, the 2006 IG Report leaves no doubt about how valuable "informant" information has been to the IRS--even when there was no coordination of informant claims:

The Informants’ Rewards Program has significantly contributed to the IRS’ efforts to enforce tax laws, but additional management focus could enhance the effectiveness of the Program as an enforcement tool and make the process more accommodating to informants. Our analysis of IRS data indicated that examinations initiated based on informant information were often more effective and efficient than returns initiated using the IRS’ primary method for selecting returns for examination.

Nonetheless, perhaps based in part on the past hostility toward the IRS's making effective use of whistleblowers before 2006, the old "informant" program was no program at all. This was the "mess" that the new Whistleblower Office Director and tiny staff of four inherited and had to start revamping in 2007, as described by TIGTA's 2006 report:

Continue reading "Part 2: IRS Whistleblower Program Report by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)" »

Today the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration ("TIGTA") released a Report on the IRS Whistleblower Program that urges Congress to protect IRS whistleblowers from retaliation by employers, and recommends various administrative changes to the Program.

The Report's title, "Deficiencies Exist in the Control and Timely Resolution of Whistleblower Claims," is misleading to this writer, who has followed the progress of the new Program since its inception. Before Congress created the new IRS Whistleblower program in December 2006, the Inspector General had observed that the IRS had no centralized approach to dealing with "informant" claims under the "old" program." The new legislation was designed to create a "Whistleblower Office" for the first time ever--with brand new staff hired to "invent" the various procedures and systems needed to fulfill Congress' intent.

To illustrate, when we submitted a substantial IRS whistleblower claim in early January 2007 through the IRS Criminal Investigative Division, the new IRS Whistleblower Office had no Director or staff. Director Steve Whitlock was not appointed until several weeks later, and he promptly set out to hire highly qualified professionals within the IRS to help establish the new Whistleblower Program. The same professionals simultaneously had to keep up with submissions of new claims from all over the country, as well as capture older submissions to the IRS.

Perhaps the IG means that the Whistleblower Office still has not worked out all of the kinks in this new program. Director Whitlock agreed with the recommendations for continuing to improve the claims process.

The most significant part of the Report may be its strong recommendation that Congress authorize protecting IRS whistleblowers from retaliation, as whistleblowers who file qui tam cases under the False Claims Act are protected:

The False Claims Act covers false claims by government contractors but specifically excludes tax fraud. The Whistleblower provisions in the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 cover actions in the area of tax compliance and provide a structure that is similar in certain respects to the False Claims Act. However, unlike the False Claims Act, Whistleblower law related to tax fraud does not include specific provisions for employee protection against retaliation by an employer. Our discussions with representatives within the operating divisions who work with whistleblowers identified that whistleblowers are concerned regarding possible retaliation from employers and that their confidentiality is their utmost concern.

* * * *
Legislative Recommendation
Legislation is needed to ensure that informants are protected against retaliation by their employers and to provide specific relief to informants who are retaliated against.

One note of caution: the Report refers to $65 billion in "alleged income unreported" in 2008. There is no way to verify this number now, given that informants may be wrong in their estimates.

The full Report is here.

The IRS Whistleblower Office has released its Annual Report to Congress, for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008. Some highlights are below:

First, the IRS Whistleblower Program has experienced explosive growth since Congress authorized these new IRS Whistleblower rewards in December 2006.

According to this Report, "the initial results suggest that whistleblowers with significant knowledge are coming forward as a result of the changes to the award program. We received claims that appear to meet the section 7623(b) criteria on 46 taxpayers in the first three months of FY 2008. By the end of the fiscal year, that number grew to 1,246. Of the 994 claims in which the individual made a specific allegation about the amount of the underpayment, 228 alleged the underpayment of $10 million or more, and 64 alleged the underpayment of $100 million or more. Many of the individuals submitting this information claim to have inside knowledge of the transactions they are reporting, and often provide extensive documentation to support their claims. It is too early to tell how many of the 1,246 cases will result in collected proceeds, and whether the whistleblowers' estimates of the amounts in dispute are accurate."

In our experience from submitting early claims even before the new Whistleblower Office had hired any staff, because the IRS Whistleblower Office's first Director Steve Whitlock immediately assembled a team of extremely able professionals from elsewhere in the IRS, the Whistleblower Office hit the ground running. "During this fiscal year, the Whistleblower Office staff grew from 4 to 14. The current staff includes ten analysts with decades of experience in a broad array of IRS
compliance programs."

As claims poured in, the Director and staff essentially had to "invent" the new Whistleblower Program with all that entails, in addition to keeping up with submissions of more and more claims.

Integrating the Whistleblower Program with the various divisions of the IRS also was a predictable challenge.

"Working with the IRS Operating Divisions, the Criminal Investigation Division, and the Office of Chief Counsel, the Whistleblower Office designed an intake process that includes initial review by Whistleblower Office staff and an evaluation by Operating Division subject matter experts. The Operating Division subject matter experts determine whether the information the whistleblower submitted warrants initiation of an examination of the reported issues. Each IRS Operating Division also has a Division Counsel. Division Counsel attorneys provide advice on technical tax issues as well as any legal issues that could limit the IRS's ability to use some or all of the information the whistleblower provided. For example, information a whistleblower provided may be subject to an evidentiary limitation such as the "attorney-client privilege" or the "federally authorized tax practitioner" privilege under section 7525 of the Code. A Division Counsel attorney assists the subject matter expert in reviewing the information provided to determine if any of the information is subject to an evidentiary limitation and whether an exception to that limitation may apply. In addition, as part of the subject matter expert's analysis, the whistleblower may be asked to meet to discuss the submission, to ensure that the IRS fully understands the issues and that the individual has submitted all relevant information.

From our observations in dealing with the Whistleblower Office, the staff has been very capable and diligent in creating and running the new program, and in coordinating with the other divisions of the IRS. "The IRS established a working group led by the Whistleblower Office, with representatives from the Operating Divisions, Criminal Investigation Division, and the Office of Chief Counsel. The working group addresses the detailed steps needed to
implement the changes in the relevant law, including updates, revisions or replacements for regulations, policies, operating procedures, and forms for whistleblower awards.
This year, the IRS completed a comprehensive review of Internal Revenue Manual
(IRM) provisions of section 7623, and published revisions on December 30,2008. In
addition, the IRS published a Privacy Impact Assessment and a Privacy Act System of Records Notice for the whistleblower program. Publication of both the Privacy Impact
Assessment and the Privacy Act System of Records Notice are essential steps in
establishing program controls as required by the law and regulation.

As to money collected and paid out through the IRS Whistleblower Program, the Report provides information on claims submitted before the law changed in December 2006, and doubled the range of payments authorized to whistleblowers. Given that the claims submitted under the new program are now maturing, we look forward to future reports that show the success of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards.

From the size of the claims we have seen from our firm's clients, the IRS Whistleblower Program should be a source of significant recoveries that will benefit all honest taxpayers, as well as the IRS Whistleblowers who come forward.

Since the Madoff and Stanford scandals, we have written about the calls for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to establish a meaningful whistleblower rewards program. Currently, no adequate incentives exist for whistleblowers to speak up when they might have a chance to stop large scale fraud and prevent the next Madoff or Stanford debacle. How much better off would so many Americans be if someone had exposed Madoff before he defrauded so many investors?

Forbes has run interesting column by Bill Singer, calling for a statute that apples "False Claims Act" whistleblower remedies to Wall Street. Why not protect investors from the massive losses that so many incurred? The current system obviously failed to do so. Harry Markopolis has described eloquently how the SEC could do so much better, and new SEC whistleblower rewards should make a huge difference.

We are already seeing the successes of another innovative law based on the same idea, the IRS Whistleblower Program. To stop those who would have you and I carry their share of the nation's tax burden, private citizens are stepping forward with better and better information to provide to the IRS about significant tax cheating. The quality of the information that our clients are presenting is compelling, and some of it will help stop major abuses of the tax laws.

Continue reading "Calls Continue for a "False Claims Act" for Wall Street Whistleblowers" »

Offshore tax abuses and tax evasion have kept the IRS quite busy of late. The fast-approaching September 23 deadline for its "voluntary disclosure program," and its agreement with UBS that will allow it to identify thousands of American taxpayers with offshore accounts, have added momentum to its efforts to combat offshore tax abuses by high net worth taxpayers.

Now, the IRS is creating a new group to "focus on examinations involving webs of entities and arrangements controlled by the high wealth taxpayer segment." It will be part of the IRS Large and Midsize Business Division.

The IRS is also seeking additional resources from Congress to step up its enforcement efforts.

The new group will not deal solely with taxpayers who are UBS clients, but will address a broad variety of international tax issues.

This added expertise should be a positive development for the IRS Whistleblower Program, as it will allow the IRS to take on more and more complex investigations. The public will benefit from the greater results produced in cases of high-dollar tax evasion, as that money owed is finally paid.

In one of two prominent whistleblower cases in the news this week, whistleblower John Kopchinski will be awarded more than $50 million for his role in exposing improper "off-label marketing" of the drug Bextra by Pfizer. Other whistleblowers also will be rewarded because of this settlement. That settlement of $2.3 billion is the largest in history ($1 billion to settle False Claims Act allegations, and $1.3 billion in criminal fine and forfeiture).

As large as the Pfizer settlement is, the other whistleblower's actions seem likely to lead to recovery of dollars that could dwarf this $2.3 billion settlement. UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld has lifted the shroud of secrecy from thousands of American taxpayers' offshore accounts at UBS. He has given the IRS a foothold into recovering potentially many billions in unpaid taxes owed.

Yet Birkenfeld was recently sentenced to serve 40 months in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States in a tax fraud scheme while at UBS. His conviction also calls into question his ability to receive a reward under the IRS Whistleblower Program from the billions to be collected by the IRS.

How could this happen?

There are tried and true steps lawyers representing whistleblowers must take to protect their clients from the risk of prosecution. This was one of the topics of the "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp" panel discussion that I led this past March, with panelists including IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock--how to protect the whistleblower who has potential criminal liability, but who has valuable information.

If adequate protection cannot be obtained, often the whistleblower with real criminal exposure should choose not to go forward. If the information is important enough to the government, however, protection for the whistleblower often can be negotiated, so long as the whistleblower is truthful and forthcoming. As former federal prosecutors who have also defended clients in white collar criminal prosecutions, we have represented many clients in obtaining this type of protection.

Continue reading "Protecting Whistleblowers from Criminal Prosecution: The Mystery of the UBS Whistleblower's Prison Sentence" »

Offshore tax abuses have been an IRS priority for some time, but the impending September 23, 2009 deadline for the IRS "Voluntary Disclosure" program--combined with the recent announcement that UBS has agreed with the IRS to release 4,450 names of U.S. account holders--has created a flurry of activity for the IRS.

Anxious taxpayers with exposure cannot be sure that their names are not on the list being produced. Last week, the IRS added a 52nd "FAQ" about the Voluntary Disclosure Program to explain its application to UBS account holders:

Q52. Are UBS account holders eligible to make a voluntary disclosure under the IRS’s offshore Voluntary Disclosure Practice (VDP) announced on March 23, 2009, and set to expire September 23, 2009?

As part of the agreement with Switzerland and UBS announced by the IRS and the Department of Justice on August 19, 2009, UBS will be sending notices to account holders indicating that their information may be provided to the IRS under the agreement. If a UBS account holder gets this notification from UBS before September 23rd, this notification will not by itself disqualify the account holder from making a voluntary disclosure under the offshore VDP by the September 23rd deadline. Although many of these notices will not be sent by UBS to account holders until after September 23rd, the September 23rd offshore VDP deadline applies to all UBS account holders even if they have not received a notice by that date.(See http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=210027,00.html).

The IRS Whistleblower Program adds another element of suspense for non-compliant taxpayers. How many of these taxpayers may learn that the IRS Whistleblower Program has already identified them to the IRS?

And if not yet identified, how many taxpayers who will decline the benefits of voluntary disclosure by September 23 will be revealed to the IRS later through the very effective IRS Whistleblower Program?

Continue reading "UBS and IRS Voluntary Discloure Program: Interesting Convergence for IRS Whistleblower Program" »

Health care cases that our lawyers see most often involve whistleblowers who know of violations of the False Claims Act. While we also pursue many IRS violations under the IRS Whistleblower Program, the health care industry is not the source of most of those claims.

In perhaps a new trend, last week a federal court in Florida agreed with the IRS that a hospital CEO is personally liable for failing to pay over to the IRS close to $2 million in payroll taxes. (Doulgeris v. United States, M.D.Fla., August 03, 2009).

Earlier this year, the chairman of the board of a tax-exempt hospital was held personally liable for the hospital's failing to collect and pay to the IRS payroll taxes, as the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that decision. (Verret v. United States, 5th Cir., 2009). The board chair, however, had extensive involvement in the operations of the entity.

Payroll tax fraud thus appears to remain an IRS priority. The reasoning of the Florida federal judge explains how the CEO was found personally liable for unpaid payroll taxes;

Continue reading "Court Agrees with IRS That Hospital CEO Is Personally Liable for Unpaid Payroll Taxes" »

How to pay for health care in the United States, as costs inexorably grow?

The IRS Whistleblower Program may help by narrowing the "tax gap"--the difference between taxes owed and taxes paid each year. Treasury's latest estimate is that $345 billion owed remains uncollected from those who engage in tax fraud, tax evasion, and other tax noncompliance. ("Update on Reducing the Federal Tax Gap and Improving Voluntary Compliance").

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus, D-Mont., raised this tax gap with the next IRS Chief Counsel, William J. Wilkins, on July 14: "We're right now trying to figure how to pay for healthcare reform," Baucus told Wilkins. "And it's ironic that coincidentally, the amount we are trying to raise is that amount."

The new IRS Whistleblower Program should dramatically improve the IRS's efforts to close that tax gap. In December 2006, Congress authorized rewards of 15-30% paid to IRS whistleblowers who provide information that assists the IRS in collecting amounts owed to the IRS.

For the first time, IRS whistleblowers have an enforceable "right" to receive a reward. Early indications from the clients who have contacted us are that many substantial claims are being presented, including claims of over $1 billion owed to the IRS. (To see how the IRS Whistleblower Program works, see excerpts of this interview with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock.)

Even the SEC is examining the success to date of the IRS program, in determining how the SEC might encourage and reward whistleblowers who come forward to reveal the next Madoff or Stanford.

Whistleblowers with solid information will help close the tax gap, and avoid imposing new taxes on the rest of the law-abiding Americans who pay their taxes.

Continue reading "Can IRS Whistleblower Program Help Offset Cost of Health Care Overhaul?" »

At the 20th Annual Convention of NELA, the National Employment Lawyers Association, I recently had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion of some of the country's top "whistleblower" lawyers. The topic was "The Most Pressing Issues in Representing Whistleblowers."

Joining me in this panel discussion were Richard Renner and David J. Marshall. Richard is an attorney with Kohn & Colapinto in Washington, DC. and also serves as Legal Director of the National Whistleblowers Center. David is a partner with Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP in DC.

The discussion included:

(1) the brand new Amendments to the False Claims Act that became law on May 20, 2009;

(2) "winning" cases and clients;

(3) what documents and other evidence may lawfully be gathered;

(4) protecting clients who may have been forced to participate in unlawful acts, and who therefore may face liability or prosecution themselves; and

(5) presenting cases most effectively to capture the government's interest.

In addition, we discussed the new IRS Whistleblower Program, in this second consecutive year that NELA invited me to participate in its national convention's panel discussion of whistleblower issues. Audience members had many excellent questions during and after the discussion.

After our session, my friend Mark Kleiman led a discussion of whistleblower issues entitled "The California False Claims Act & Other Whistleblower Cases." Joining Mark were J. Bernard Alexander III and Wilmer J. Harris.

Much thanks to NELA's fine Board and Executive Director Teri Chaw in arranging this terrific conference in Rancho Mirage, California.

Last Fall, and again in March 2009, whistleblower lawyer blog co-author Michael A. Sullivan had the pleasure of sitting down with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock, for an in-depth interview on the "best practices" for lawyers in pursuing IRS Whistleblower claims for their whistleblower clients.

The interview has just been published in the April 2009 False Claims Act & Qui Tam Quarterly Review. It includes some of the important points made by Director Whitlock at the IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp sponsored by Taxpayers Against Fraud in March, 2009, about which we have written previously.

The interview covers the progress of the IRS Whistleblower Office since it was established in early 2007, how the IRS process differs from pursuing qui tam cases under the False Claims Act, and the “best practices” for attorneys who pursue IRS Whistleblower claims.

We appreciate how generous Mr. Whitlock has been with his time in helping educate lawyers who wish to bring IRS Whistleblowers claims, which was the reason for the IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp in March.

IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock (right) participates in a panel discussion moderated by Whistleblower Lawyer Blog Co-Author Michael A. Sullivan (left) at the IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp.

Some excerpts from the interview are below (more will follow later), and the entire interview should be available through Taxpayers Against Fraud on a subscription basis:

Michael Sullivan: Steve Whitlock, thank you for agreeing to speak with me for the TAF Quarterly to discuss the “Best Practices for Lawyers in Pursuing IRS Whistleblower Claims.”

Fundamentally if there is serious tax noncompliance, if there’s evidence that there is real money involved in it, the Service is going to be interested. If it is below the $2 million threshold in the statute, we still have the backup of the pre-amendment rule, subsection (a) of the statute. We still pay, we still accept, we still process those claims.

Continue reading "Interview with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock on "Best Practices in Pursuing IRS Whistleblower Claims" Is Released" »

We have written previously how the "bailout" measures such as TARP--the Troubled Assets Relief Program--and other "stimulus" measures must have effective oversight,disclosure, and anti-fraud provisions to protect those funds from those who look to commit fraud. The speed at which the government has acted to address the faltering economy will only increase the opportunities for fraud. Already, TARP whistleblowers have begun to come forward with reports of misuse of billions in TARP funds.

This week, Neal Barofsky, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program reiterated those points in his Quarterly Report to Congress. The IG described TARP as "inherently vulnerable to fraud, waste and abuse, including significant issues relating to conflicts of interest facing fund managers, collusion between participants and vulnerabilities to money laundering."

Barofsky's unit, known in government lingo as "SIGTARP," has opened twenty investigations that include suspected securities fraud, tax law violations, insider trading and mortgage modification fraud. We expect that his staff is working closely with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division (“IRS-CI”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and other government agencies.

The audits being conducted by Barofsky's unit address, among other things, how TARP funds are being used; compliance with executive compensation provisions; Treasury's decisions about funding the first TARP recipients and its decisions relating to Bank of America’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch; AIG and its bonuses; and the AIG counterparties that received TARP funds. These lists will only grow.

According to Barofsky, "You don't need an entirely corrupt institution to pull one of these schemes off," he said. "You only need a few corrupt managers whose compensation may be tied to the performance of these assets in order to effectively pull off collusion or a kickback scheme."

Just since last Fall, the TARP program has grown in "scope, scale, and complexity" from the original program intended to purchase up to $700 billion in “toxic” assets such as troubled mortgages and mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”). Now, TARP funds are going to twelve separate programs and could reach $3 trillion, according to this week's Report.

As a practical matter, we have found that TARP funds are at greater risk of abuse in the absence of clear restrictions on use of the funds. This glaring oversight in how TARP was originally established must be remedied immediately for anti-fraud measures such as the False Claims Act to be effective in protecting the funds. Clear restrictions and limitations on TARP funds would also allow the IRS Whistleblower Program to be used by whistleblowers who report TARP abuse and fraud.

Here is the link to the Quarterly Report to Congress by the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Assets Relief Program. The Executive Summary is reprinted below:

Continue reading "Fraud Against TARP Funds A Real Threat, Warns Special Inspector General for TARP" »

A frequent question in our IRS Whistleblower cases is how IRS Whistleblower claims are affected by the statute of limitations. In long-running violations of the tax laws, that question can determine how much of past tax liability the IRS may be able to recover.

Yesterday, the Tax Court issued a decision that illustrates what happens when the taxpayer has engaged in fraud. (Joseph B. Williams III v. Commissioner, 2009 TNT 72-11). Because the court found that fraud was established by the taxpayer's plea to tax evasion, the court ruled that the IRS could recover for liability dating back to 1993-2000, more than six years before the IRS' notice of deficiency to the taxpayer.

The taxpayer in question, Joseph Bryan Williams, III, was an oil trader for Mobil Oil. In 1993, the taxpayer opened two Swiss bank accounts in the name of a British Virgin Islands corporation. From 1993-2000, the taxpayer had more than $7 million in deposits in these Swiss accounts, which earned more than $800,000 in interest. None of the income was included on the taxpayer's U.S. tax returns over that eight-year period, the last of which was filed in 2001.

After an IRS investigation, the taxpayer was charged criminally, and he ultimately pleaded guilty to (1) one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS, in violation of 18 U.S.C. section 371 and (2) one count of criminal tax evasion with respect to each of the eight tax years (1993-2000), in violation of section 7201 of the Internal Revenue Code. In October 2007, more than six years after the last return was filed in 2001, the IRS issued a statutory notice of deficiency for all eight years.

The Tax Court rejected any suggestion that the statute of limitations prevented the IRS from recovering for tax years 1993-2000, since "fraud" was established:

Mr. Williams's fraud is the threshold issue in this case, not only because his liability for the fraud penalty depends on it, but also because fraud affects the period of limitations for assessment of his liability for the tax deficiencies. Generally, the IRS must assess a deficiency within 3 years of the date on which the tax return that relates to such deficiency was filed. Sec. 6501(a). For the tax years 1993 through 2000, Mr. Williams's latest-filed return (for 2000) was filed May 15, 2001. However, it was not until more than 6 years later -- on October 29, 2007 -- that the IRS issued to Mr. Williams a notice of deficiency, which is the first step in the process of assessing a deficiency. If the general rule of section 6501(a) applied, then the IRS would have failed to assess the deficiency within the period of limitations and would be barred from assessing and collecting any of the deficiencies or additions to tax for the 8 tax years at issue. However, if the deficiency was determined "[i]n the case of a false or fraudulent return with the intent to evade tax," then the IRS may assess such deficiency "at any time." Sec. 6501(c)(1). Thus, we decide as a threshold matter whether Mr. Williams is liable for fraud under section 6663. (Emphasis supplied).

Because fraud was established, no statute of limitations applied, since "'[i]n the case of a false or fraudulent return with the intent to evade tax,' then the IRS may assess such deficiency 'at any time.'"

In addition, as IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock pointed out in our recent "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp," it will not be apparent to whistleblowers that, especially in large cases, the taxpayer may have agreed with the IRS to allow the statute of limitations to be extended. There also may be open audit years that allow the IRS to reach back far more than three years.

In short, there are various reasons why the IRS may be able to recover past tax liability well beyond three years.

In our March 7, 2009 "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp," IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock mentioned that the IRS's priorities include the "Dirty Dozen"--a list of tax scams that is updated yearly.

The IRS has just issued its 2009 "Dirty Dozen" list, which should be of interest to potential IRS whistleblowers. It is reprinted below:

Beware of IRS’ 2009 “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today issued its 2009 “dirty dozen” list of tax scams, including schemes involving phishing, hiding income offshore and false claims for refunds.

Taxpayers also evade taxes by using offshore debit cards, credit cards, wire transfers, foreign trusts, employee-leasing schemes, private annuities or life insurance plans. The IRS has also identified abusive offshore schemes including those that involve use of electronic funds transfer and payment systems, offshore business merchant accounts and private banking relationships.

Continue reading "IRS Announces New List of "Dirty Dozen" Tax Scams" »

I had the pleasure of seeing again and speaking last week with Harry Markopolis, the "whistleblower" now renowned for his excellent work in recognizing and reporting to the SEC that Bernie Madoff was running a huge Ponzi scheme. Harry was in Washington attending the "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp" sponsored by Taxpayers Against Fraud.

Harry Markopolis exemplifies the whistleblower who works diligently to "do the right thing." His appearance on 60 Minutes gave us a taste of his frustration over the years in attempting to cause the SEC to take action about Madoff.

We commend Harry for wearing the "white hat" so well--and we take our hats off to him. Let's hope the SEC creates a meaningful whistleblower program and listens to Harry about how it should operate.

I spent a very productive day today with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock, former IRS Commissioner Margaret Richardson, IRS Special Counsel Tom Kane, and other senior IRS officials working with the IRS Whistleblower Office, in helping stage the most comprehensive legal education program yet about the new IRS Whistleblower Program--the "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp." The day-long event was sponsored by Taxpayers Against Fraud.

After sessions on various aspects of how the tax whistleblower program operates, I was honored to lead the panel discussion with Director Whitlock and others on some difficult and complex issues in representing whistleblowers. We discussed in depth claims by whistleblowers such as CPAs, lawyers, and fiduciaries who have had confidential relationships with the taxpayers in question; and claims by whistleblowers who were involved in misconduct. Joining our panel discussion were Special Counsel Tom Kane of the Office of Chief Counsel, and my friend and fellow whistleblower attorney Paul D. Scott of San Francisco.

Whistleblower Lawyer Blog Co-Author Michael A. Sullivan (left) moderates the panel discussion with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock (right).

Director Whitlock explained how the claims submitted to the two year-old IRS Whistleblower Office have grown from approximately 80 in the first year, to approximately 2000 at present.

The IRS officials reviewed offshore tax schemes, tax fraud and tax evasion, and many other types of tax noncompliance as potential bases of IRS Whistleblower claims.

The IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp began with "IRS Whistleblower Office 101," a panel discussion introducing the applicable regulations, providing an overview of the IRS Whistleblower Office, and providing an update on the progress of the program. It was moderated by TAF Member Margaret Finerty, and included as panelists Director Steve Whitlock, and IRS Whistleblower Office Analysts Robert Gardner, Dawn Applebaum, and Al Gibson. (Dawn Applebam had joined me last week in Atlanta to make an excellent presentation on the IRS Whistleblower Program at the annual "Whistleblower Law Symposium" that our firm sponsors.)

The main domestic and international tax fraud schemes, and the types of cases the IRS Whistleblower Office would like to receive, were the subject of a discussion by former IRS Commissioner Margaret Richardson. The panelists were IRS "Subject Matter Experts" Larry Brongel (Large and Mid-sized Business Division (LMSB), Retailers, Food, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Industry); Sheila Olander (Sr. Analyst Special Agent with the IRS Criminal Investigative Division, Office of Financial Crimes); Elizabeth Elfrey (Director, Fraud/Bank Secrecy Act in the IRS Small Business/Self Employed (SBSE)); and Al Gibson (Whistleblower Office Analyst).

TAF member Frederick Morgan, and attorney and CPA Ralph Minto, then discussed expanding a False Claims Act practice to include IRS Whistleblower cases.

TAF President Neil Getnick led a panel discussion on issue-spotting and practice pointers when bringing IRS Whistleblower cases. The panelists were Director Steve Whitlock, Special Counsel Tom Kane, and TAF Member and fellow whistleblower attorney Brian Kenney.

Continue reading "IRS Whistleblower Attorneys Join IRS Whistleblower Office Director and Other IRS Officials for "IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp"" »

I am very excited about co-chairing the Annual "Whistleblower Law Symposium" once again this week.

From Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., many of the country's leading attorneys in whistleblower cases under the "qui tam" statute, the False Claims Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley statute, and the IRS Whistleblower Program will gather in Atlanta on March 4 to discuss some of the more challenging aspects of representing whistleblowers (or defending against whistleblower claims) under these laws.

We are honored to have one of the officials of the IRS Whistleblower Office, Dawn Applebaum, join us in person to discuss the progress of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program. The IRS Whistleblower Office has just celebrated its second anniversary.

We are also privileged to have the top state enforcement officials in health care fraud cases from Texas, Florida, and Georgia, to explain how they coordinate state and federal health care fraud whistleblower cases under the federal and state False Claims Acts.

Also joining us is Rep. Edward Lindsey, the Legislative Sponsor both of the Georgia State False Medicaid Claims Act, and recent legislation to solidify Georgia’s Office of State Inspector General.

Because of the wave of new whistleblower statutes that have been inspired by the successes of the False Claims Act, our firm instituted the Whistleblower Law Symposium. Once again, top-notch speakers will address a broad variety of issues that arise under these whistleblower laws, including:

--Whistleblowers in Health Care: Recent Cases and Strategies for Healthcare Providers and Counsel When a Whistleblower Calls

--Recent Developments in Qui Tam Cases Under the False Claims Act—The Relator’s Perspective

--Update on the IRS Whistleblower Program

We are fortunate to have such excellent faculty members from around the country join us. Our faculty members and their topics are listed below.

Continue reading "Whistleblower Attorneys to Discuss Qui Tam Cases Under False Claims Act, IRS Whistleblower Program, and Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Cases at Annual "Whistleblower Law Symposium"" »

Off-shore tax evasion and international tax avoidance schemes are priorities of the IRS and the IRS Whistleblower program, which rewards tax whistleblowers. Our whistleblower lawyer blog has followed the ongoing investigation of UBS for its activities, which took a major turn today.

Today, the government announced that UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, has admitted to helping U.S. taxpayers hide accounts from the IRS. UBS has agreed to identify its customers and to pay $780 million, as part of a "deferred prosecution agreement" on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding the IRS.

Based on an order by the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA), UBS agreed "to immediately provide the United States government with the identities of, and account information for, certain United States customers of UBS’s cross-border business." UBS also agreed to stop providing banking services to U.S. clients with undeclared accounts.

In 2000, after UBS purchased the brokerage firm Paine Webber, UBS entered into an agreement with the IRS to report income and other identifying information for its U.S. clients who held United States securities in a UBS account, according to the government. The government alleged that UBS was required to withhold income taxes from U.S. clients.

To evade those new reporting requirements, the government alleged that employees and managers within the cross-border business, with the knowledge of certain UBS executives, helped U.S. taxpayers open new UBS accounts in the names of nominees and/or sham entities. Assets of the individual’s accounts were then moved to the new accounts, and the U.S. taxpayer would not be identified as a beneficiary, according to the government.

UBS managers and employees also reportedly used encrypted laptops and other counter-surveillance techniques to help prevent the detection of their marketing efforts and the identities and offshore assets of their U.S. clients. Clients of the cross-border business allegedly filed false tax returns omitting the income earned on their Swiss bank accounts, and failed to disclose the existence of those accounts to the IRS.

Continue reading "UBS Agrees to Pay $780 Million & Identify Customers in IRS Tax Fraud Case" »

When improprieties occur with hedge funds, the hedge funds' lack of transparency and dearth of disclosure obligations make violations of the law difficult to uncover. Sometimes, persons in the hedge fund industry report those abuses through the IRS Whistleblower Program, as some of our IRS Whistleblower clients have done.

Nonetheless, the hedge fund industry remains cloaked in secrecy, frustrating experts who now seek to gauge the impact of hedge funds on the current financial crisis.

A new bill just introduced in the Senate, the "Hedge Fund Transparency Act," would lift that cloak and create disclosure requirements for hedge funds and oversight of hedge funds by the SEC. This bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Chuck Grassley and Carl Levin modifies a prior approach to hedge fund scrutiny pressed by Sen. Grassley, after a whistleblower complained that SEC supervisors were impeding an investigation into a major hedge fund.

According to Sen. Grassley, "The bill contains four basic requirements to make hedge funds subject to SEC regulation and oversight. It requires them to register with the SEC, to file an annual disclosure form with basic information that will be made publicly available, to maintain books and records required by the SEC, and to cooperate with any SEC information request or examination."

Until the Bear Stearns debacle, there seemed little political will for any serious oversight of hedge funds. The SEC in 2004 had issued a rule requiring hedge funds to register under the Investment Advisers Act, to comply with related regulations, and to provide basic information through a public disclosure form. In June 2006, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit declared the rule invalid as incompatible with the Investment Advisers Act.

In hindsight, that absence of scrutiny may be seen as a grave error, one which may have helped create the current financial meltdown.

Since 1998, when the Federal Reserve acted to rescue Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), a hedge fund with more than $125 billion in assets under management and a total market position of approximately $1.3 trillion, investments in hedge funds have grown dramatically.

Continue reading "Hedge Funds Face Regulation & Oversight by SEC--Will There Be Another Compliance Tool in Addition to IRS Whistleblower Program?" »

When the Wall Street "bailout" grew with Congress' creation of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), Sen. Chuck Grassley emphasized the importance of "whistleblowers" and the False Claims Act to protecting these taxpayer funds from fraud and abuse.

Tonight, the House added to the bailout by passing the economic stimulus package, HR 1, and approved an amendment adding whistleblower protection for federal employees.

The stimulus bill reportedly provides for $523 billion in spending, and $275 billion in tax cuts. It originally lacked protection for federal employees who are whistleblowers. An amendment by Reps. Todd Platts, R-Pa., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. added those protections from last year's thwarted Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which cleared the House but not the Senate.

The history of government spending programs proves beyond doubt that the vast majority of fraud and abuse can only be revealed by whistleblowers. Protecting taxpayer dollars means protecting and rewarding whistleblowers. As Sen. Grassley observed in a November 17, 2008 letter about TARP:

As a longtime supporter of whistleblowers, I can attest to the fact that whistleblowers are often the key to uncovering schemes to defraud the government. With their inside knowledge of how businesses, corporations, or government agencies operate they are often privy to information that is often the necessary component to piece together how a fraud is perpetrated.

Both the False Claims Act and the IRS Whistleblower Program will be important in stopping fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds. When there is fraud, there is often an IRS violation as well.

Continue reading "Whistleblower Protections Added to Economic Stimulus Bill Passed by House" »

Financial fraud is a frequent topic of whistleblower cases and of this whistleblower lawyer blog, especially with TARP and the Wall Street "bailout" dominating headlines.

Senators Chuck Shumer and Richard Shelby have proposed a bipartisan bill to bolster federal resources to combat securities fraud and accounting fraud, the Supplemental Anti-Fraud Enforcement (“SAFE”) Markets Act.

Here are excerpts from the Senators' announcement:

“Our white collar crime divisions are under-staffed, under-funded, and overwhelmed,” Schumer said. “When a wave of violent crime sweeps through a city, the immediate response is to beef up the police forces, putting more cops on the beat, extending overtime, and making sure the city returns to safety. Our reaction to the financial crisis and the massive and complex financial fraud investigations that loom should be no different.”

The senators said Thursday that the investment in enforcement is a small price to pay to protect U.S. markets, and it could pay for itself. An increase in fines levied by the SEC and collection of orders of restitution in criminal cases could be far greater than the $110 million cost of increasing enforcement personnel.

As our government hemorrhages its taxpayers' funds to "bail out" firms that made poor decisions--such as American International Group (AIG), Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and American Express--a just-issued report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) raises a disturbing question: have many of the same firms already been avoiding paying their "fair share" of U.S. taxes by using offshore tax "havens"?

If so, whistleblowers will be performing a civic duty by reporting any tax evasion and noncompliance through the IRS Whistleblower Program.

"This report shows that some of our country's largest companies and federal contractors, many of which are household names, continue to use offshore tax havens to avoid paying their fair share of taxes to the U.S. And some of those companies have even received emergency economic funds from the government," said Sen. Byron Dorgan. "I think we should take action to shut down these tax dodgers and we will be introducing legislation to do just that."

GAO's findings included that:

Eighty-three of the 100 largest publicly traded U.S. corporations in terms of 2007 revenue reported having subsidiaries in jurisdictions listed as tax havens or financial privacy jurisdictions and 74 of the 83 had federal contracts in fiscal year 2007. For the 74 corporations, the amount of the federal contract obligations ranged from $12,000 to over $23 billion.

Several insurance companies, including American International Group Inc., Hartford Financial Services Group, Travelers Cos. Inc., Allstate Corp. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. reportedly have subsidiaries in tax havens or financial privacy jurisdictions such as Bermuda and Switzerland.

With a "tax gap" of more than $350 billion each year--the amount owed but not paid in federal taxes--it is galling to most taxpayers to see any company that avoids paying its fair share now receive billions more in a "bailout" through the TARP program.

The GAO report did not state that any of the listed firms utilizing tax "havens" were necessarily violating current law. Sen. Dorgan did say that he planned to introduce legislation to "shut down these tax dodgers."

Continue reading "Will Wall Street Bailout Help Firms That Are "Tax Dodgers" and Hide Income in Offshore Tax "Havens"? And Will the IRS Whistleblower Program Provide a Remedy?" »

Offshore tax evasion and international tax avoidance schemes have been priorities of the IRS and its IRS Whistleblower Program, as our whistleblower lawyer blog has followed repeatedly.

This week, the U.S. prosecution of the former head of UBS AG's wealth management business, Raoul Weil, took a strange turn as he failed to surrender himself and was declared a fugitive. Weil allegedly conspired to help 17,000 American taxpayers conceal approximately $20 billion of assets in Swiss accounts, to avoid payment of U.S. taxes.

Weil is not the only person to try to conceal himself from the many ongoing DOJ and IRS investigations into tax fraud, tax evasion, and other tax cheating and fraud. In June, former hedge fund manager Samuel Israel III reportedly tried to fake his own death, rather than face a 20-year prison sentence for defrauding investors out of $400 million. (He later turned himself in to authorities.)

Of course, these disappearances raise questions about Bernard Madoff's actions while not incarcerated as he faces the music for what is apparently perhaps the largest known fraud scheme in history.

Continue reading "Offshore Tax Evasion Case: Former UBS AG's Raoul Weil Declared a Fugitive" »

The IRS Large and Midsize Business Division (LMSB) has published a new memorandum on how it will handle IRS Whistleblower claims, the process for citizens to report tax fraud, tax evasion, and other tax noncompliance--and share in the government's recovery of money. (http://www.irs.gov/pub/foia/ig/lmsb/lmsb-4-1108-052.pdf).

The LMSB Division has responsibility over corporations, subchapter S corporations, and partnerships with assets greater than $10 million. This IRS Division is divided by industry groups, including (1) Communications, Technology, and Media; (2) Financial Services; (3) Heavy Manufacturing and Transportation; (4) Natural Resources and Construction; and (5) Retailers, Food, Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare. (The IRS Financial Services group, as well as the IRS overall, will be especially busy as the troubled economy and the TARP "bailout" motivate more citizens to report tax cheating through IRS Whistleblower claims.)

Among the procedures discussed are measures to protect the confidentiality of the whistleblower and the whistleblower's information:

Protection of Whistleblower’s Information

It is a longstanding practice of the Service that the identity of a confidential source of information, including a whistleblower, will not be disclosed, except to those officials with a "need to know" in the performance of their official duties. This practice applies whether the request is made under the Freedom of Information Act or in the context of an administrative or judicial proceeding. If anyone outside the Service asks if a whistleblower has provided information impacting the examination, examiners should neither confirm nor deny that a whistleblower is involved in any matter. This response must be provided in all cases because the knowledge that a whistleblower provided information may, in fact, identify the whistleblower.

The IRS Whistleblower Program is an excellent initiative that states should emulate to recover scarce taxpayer dollars from those who cheat the law-abiding public, by not paying their fair share of the tax burden.

Much criticism has flowed from how the first $350 billion in TARP "bailout" funds are being used. Thus far, the need for additional restrictions to prevent and penalize fraud and abuse of TARP money remains unmet.

In response, yesterday House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank proposed legislation establishing greater limits on use of TARP funds, among other things.

The "TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009" (HR 384) would require quarterly reports from recipients on their use of TARP funds, restrict the use of TARP funds for acquisitions, and impose further limits on executive compensation. Among its other terms are that it would increase the authority of the Financial Stability Oversight Board.

A potentially very significant point is that the Act empowers Treasury to apply the new limits on bonuses and other executive compensation to past recipients of TARP funds.

The new restrictions should further Sen. Grassley's call for use of the False Claims Act, the very successful qui tam whistleblower statute, to protect TARP funds.

The entire TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009 may be found at http://www.rules.house.gov/111/LegText/111_HR384txt.pdf.

With tax season approaching, the IRS has alerted the public to "tax preparer fraud" by issuing issued a "fact sheet" (at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=202123,00.html). The IRS also has attached information about reporting abusive tax schemes through the IRS Whistleblower Program, which provides rewards to whistleblowers.

Interestingly, the IRS has included descriptions of some of the tax fraud and tax evasion schemes that have caused courts to issue "more than 290 permanent injunctions against abusive tax scheme promoters and abusive return preparers since 2001."

The summary by the IRS is reprinted below:

Continue reading "IRS on Tax Preparer Fraud: Report Illegal Tax Schemes to IRS Whistleblower Office" »

The Treasury Department last week issued its December 2008 report to Congress on what it has done with the "bailout" funds through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and Capital Purchase Program (CPP). With more than 200 institutions receiving taxpayer money, an overriding question is how to prevent and redress the inevitable fraud and abuse of TARP and other taxpayer funds, through whistleblowers and other means.

Treasury reported that, as of December 31, 2008, it had invested $177.5 billion in more than 200 U.S. financial institutions. As discussed previously on the whistleblower lawyer blog, Treasury recounted its announced assistance to General Motors and GMAC, as part of the Automotive Industry Financing Program (AIFP).

Treasury also described its New Year's Eve investment in Citigroup of $20 billion in preferred stock and warrants, as part of a new Targeted Investment Program (TIP). It also discussed reporting to Congress on the "Asset Guarantee Program," an insurance program.

Treasury's list of institutions receiving funds is reprinted below.

With abuses already being reported by TARP whistleblowers, we urge the government to act decisively to plan for and redress the inevitable abuses that will occur. Sen. Grassley has emphasized that the qui tam whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act be used to deal with TARP bailout fraud and abuse, as we have discussed previously. The IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program should also serve an essential role in protecting taxpayer funds, as well as rewarding whistleblowers.

Continue reading "With Treasury Reporting TARP Funds to More Than 200 Financial Institutions, Who--Besides Whistleblowers--Can Guard Against Fraud and Abuse?" »

The TARP bailout funding continues, as the Treasury Department announced today that it will buy $5 billion in senior preferred equity with an 8% dividend from GMAC LLC.

Senator Charles Grassley has emphasized that TARP and other "bailout" funds must be protected through whistleblower protections and whistleblower laws such as the False Claims Act. The GMAC announcement today will present ample opportunities to test those premises on which Congress approved the bailout funding.

The Treasury announcement is reprinted below:

Continue reading "Treasury Department Announces TARP Investment in GMAC" »

Fraudulent tax shelters continue to be a target not only of IRS Whistleblower claims, but also of enforcement actions.

We have followed closely the KPMG tax shelter fraud case in this whistleblower lawyer blog. The trial of four defendants ended this week, with two former KPMG partners and one attorney convicted of multiple counts of tax evasion for their roles in the bogus tax shelters. Another lawyer defendant was acquitted.

Prosecutors alleged that KPMG officials offered wealthy clients illegal offshore tax shelters, and paid outside attorneys to give the bogus shelters the appearance of legitimacy. According to the government, the investments had no real risk, and generated "paper losses that allowed the accounting firm's clients to offset income.

Through tax shelters with names such as BLIPS, FLIP and OPUS, the clients were able to claim falsely that they had taken sizeable loans to buy stock, according to the government. Clients allegedly paid fees equal to 7 percent of the amount of losses sought.

After a two month trial, former KPMG tax partner Robert Pfaff, former KPMG senior tax manager John Larson, and attorney Raymond J. Ruble were found guilty on multiple counts of tax evasion. Another former KPMG tax partner was acquitted on the five counts of tax evasion.

The accounting firm agreed two years ago to pay $456 million to resolve the allegations against the firm itself. Guilty pleas previously were entered by the government’s chief witness, David Amir Makov, former KPMG partner David Rivkin, and former HVB Group accountant Domenick DeGiorgio.

Continue reading "KPMG Tax Shelter Fraud Trial Ends With Three Tax Evasion Convictions for Accountants and Lawyer" »

On the same grey November day when President Bush visited Wall Street's Federal Hall to address the ever-morphing "bailout," I was in lower Manhattan meeting with IRS officials about an IRS Whistleblower matter. The tax evasion scheme we discussed was yet another that has cost taxpayers dearly.

As NYPD officers scurried about to help protect the President that day, I wondered who and what would protect our taxpayer funds--the hundreds of billions the government was now about to dole out--from fraud and abuse.

Fraud is rampant, as proven by the evidence brought to light by so many of our whistleblower clients under the qui tam statute, the False Claims Act, and now under the new IRS Whistleblower Program.

A few days later, Sen. Chuck Grassley hammered the same point in a November 17, 2008 letter to Treasury Secretary Paulson and Attorney General Mukasey. Grassley has insisted on effective oversight of the Troubled Asset Recovery Program (TARP) and the Capital Purchase Program (CPP), as well as on encouraging "whistleblowers" to come forward:

In the meantime, taxpayer dollars are at risk and I believe it is important to discuss alternative procedures and measures that can be taken to ensure taxpayers aren’t taken to the cleaners by unscrupulous individuals. One proven and effective method of overseeing taxpayer funds has been to support courageous whistleblowers who risk their jobs and livelihoods to bring forth allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse of taxpayer monies. As a longtime supporter of whistleblowers, I can attest to the fact that whistleblowers are often the key to uncovering schemes to defraud the government. With their inside knowledge of how businesses, corporations, or government agencies operate they are often privy to information that is often the necessary component to piece together how a fraud is perpetrated. As such, I believe you should both work to ensure that all entities participating in the TARP and CPP are made aware that any allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse will be treated seriously and properly referred to the Treasury Inspector General or the Attorney General for review until a Special Inspector General for the TARP is appointed.

Grassley also emphasized the importance of the False Claims Act, the nation's primary civil weapon for combating fraud against taxpayer funds, in preventing and penalizing fraud in the bailout:

[E]ntities who receive federal funds under the TARP and CPP are subject to the provisions of the FCA should they use false or fraudulent submissions in order to obtain federal funds. For instance, any entity that submits false or fraudulent information in an application to Treasury in order to obtain federal funds available through the CPP would be liable to the Government under the FCA. Further, while it has been reported that the Treasury does not currently plan to utilize authority under the Act to use the TARP to purchase distressed assets either directly or indirectly, should Treasury exercise its authority to do so, any fraudulent statements or submissions made to induce the Government to purchase those assets would also subject the fraudfeasors to liability. As a result, these individuals and corporations could be subject to civil penalties and treble damages for committing fraud against the Government.

Continue reading "Whistleblowers, TARP, and Other Wall Street "Bailout" Measures--Why the False Claims Act and IRS Whistleblower Program Are More Essential Than Ever" »

The Justice Department has announced that its investigation of offshore tax evasion will expand to include Europe's largest bank, HSBC in London, and Credit Suisse in Zurich. The increasing scrutiny of illegal offshore tax schemes comes as the Wall Street bailout and turmoil in the banking and financial services industries generate more interest in IRS Whistleblower Program claims.

DOJ and IRS continue to investigate UBS, Switzerland's largest bank. Last month saw the unsealing of the an indictment of Raoul Weil, a UBS senior executive, who faces charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing American clients' taxable assets.

Scrutiny of Credit Suisse and HSBC reportedly includes whether the two banks may have helped U.S. clients hide up to $30 billion from U.S. tax authorities.

The IRS and DOJ investigations highlight differences in U.S. and Swiss law. Switzerland does not criminalize routine tax evasion, and bank secrecy rules in Switzerland prohibit disclosure of account holder information in these cases.

U.S. officials have already obtained previously "secret" UBS bank information reportedly revealing that some 20,000 U.S. citizens have maintained offshore accounts with UBS, and that approximately 17,000 of those accounts were never disclosed to the IRS. Estimates of willful tax evasion of $300 million per year have been reported previously.

These investigations also underscore problems in compliance with the IRS qualified intermediary program. Foreign financial institutions and foreign branches of U.S. financial institutions can agree with the IRS to be qualified intermediaries, and thus be subject to simplified withholding and reporting rules. The program seeks to make sure that the IRS is informed of foreign accounts with taxable assets, but many of these assets continue to be concealed from the IRS.

As U.S. taxpayers face an ever-increasing cost to "rescue" or bail out financial institutions, tax evasion and tax fraud schemes revealed by whistleblowers through the IRS Whistleblower Program will attract greater and greater scrutiny. Perhaps some of these whistleblowers can help offset the bailout's ultimate costs by reducing the several hundreds of billions in unpaid tax liability each year (the "tax gap").

One of the hallmarks of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program is that whistleblowers have an enforceable right to rewards, and can appeal the IRS Whistleblower Office's rewards decisions to the U.S. Tax Court.

The Tax Court has taken a step forward in issuing new proposed amendments to its Rules of Practice and Procedure to prepare for IRS whistleblower cases. The amendments are reprinted below.

A critical improvement is that the Tax Court has listened to concerns expressed by whistleblower attorneys about the need to allow whistleblowers to proceed "anonymously" and not reveal their identity publicly. The explanation of New Rule 340 would allow anonymous filings to endeavor to preserve confidentiality:

"Pursuant to section 7461(b)(1), the Court may issue protective orders, upon motion by a party or any other person and for good cause shown, to prevent or restrict the disclosure of trade secrets and other information. See Tax Court Rule 103(a). As result of this authority, in appropriate cases, the Court may permit a petitioner to proceed anonymously and seal the record in that case. See, e.g., Anonymous v. Commissioner, 127 T.C. 89 (2006). The Court contemplates that these generally applicable statutory provisions, Rule 103, and related case law, while they do not require the Court's records in all whistleblower actions to be sealed or require the Court to permit all petitioners in those cases to proceed anonymously, do provide authority for the Court to allow a petitioner to proceed anonymously and to seal the record when appropriate in whistleblower actions."

The full text is as follows:

Continue reading "Tax Court Prepares for IRS Whistleblower Cases by Adopting New Proposed Amendments to Rules of Practice and Procedure " »

Will the IRS Whistleblower Program and the False Claims Act be powerful weapons in redressing the fraud and abuse that led to the current financial crisis--and to the future fraud and abuse that is certain to target the "bailout" billions of taxpayer funds?

Fraud and abuse have never been in short supply. The ongoing financial crisis points to staggering amounts of past financial abuses that now threaten to wipe out Americans' savings, if not undermine the world economy.

Now, the federal government's stated plans to spend hundreds of billions of taxpayer funds for the "bailout"--largely because of the lack of past oversight--will create countless opportunities for more fraud against the taxpayers.

In the Savings and Loan debacle, a judge asked, "Where were the lawyers?" Where were those who could have spoken out and stopped those abuses before they caused ruinous harm?

Today, the toxic loans, collateralized debt obligations, and credit default swaps that infect our financial system raise a broader question: how many persons failed to speak out to try to stop their corrupting misuse?

Scoundrels depend on silence from others while they loot the public fisc. To stop the looting, Americans (and others) must stand up, and speak up.

Whistleblowers will be essential to minimizing the theft of the bailout billions, through the IRS Whistleblower Program and the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, on which we have written extensively. Each allows private citizen whistleblowers to help the government recover taxpayer funds, and rewards the whistleblowers with what is typically 15-30% of the funds recovered.

It will be justice to see those whistleblowers courageous enough to speak up share in the government's recovery of the billions already lost, and the billions more of taxpayer funds that are about to be spent.

When Congress authorized the new IRS Whistleblower Program in December 2006, it required annual reporting to Congress about how the new whistleblower provisions have been used, what results were obtained, and what recommendations to improve the program should be considered.

The Secretary of the Treasury has recently issued the first such Report, which summarizes the first 12 months of the new IRS Whistleblower Office.

For those who follow the IRS Whistleblower Program, the Report provides a look into the substantial progress made in a short time by this very small group within the IRS. These developments have been followed on this whistleblower lawyer blog since the infancy of the IRS Whistleblower Office.

Much-anticipated data about recoveries and rewards paid under the IRS Whistleblower Program is included in the Report. In FY 2007, the IRS paid $13 million in rewards to "informants" (whistleblowers), but those rewards were based on the lower percentages that applied before the IRS Whistleblower statute was amended effective December 20, 2006, to double the size of rewards available to 15-30% of the government's recovery. Rewards for IRS Whistleblower claims submitted after December 20, 2006 should be much greater, especially since the new Program has generated a wave of submissions.

The IRS's priorities for the Whistleblower Program in FY 2008 include revising old policies and procedures concerning whistleblower rewards, developing the criteria to be used in making reward decisions, soliciting feedback to help guide the new Program, and testing and then deploying a new case management system. (Some of the same information will be discussed in an upcoming article on "best practices" in pursuing IRS Whistleblower claims that I was requested to write for the TAF Quarterly Review, based on my interview of IRS Whistleblower Office Director Stephen Whitlock in early September.)

We congratulate the very capable staff of the IRS Whistleblower Office for all of their progress to date. For those interested in reading the full Report, the body of the Report is reprinted below:

Continue reading "1st Annual Report on New IRS Whistleblower Program Issued by Secretary of the Treasury" »

For the second time since the new IRS Whistleblower office was created in early 2007, IRS Whistleblower Office Director Stephen A. Whitlock addressed questions from whistleblower attorneys at the Taxpayers Against Fraud annual conference yesterday in Washington. Joining him as panelists were U.S. Tax Court Special Trial Judge Lewis R. Carluzzo; Professor Dennis J. Ventry, Jr. of American University's Washington College of Law; Erika Kelton of Phillips & Cohen LLP; and as moderator Paul D. Scott of the Law Offices of Paul D. Scott.

Afterward, I had the pleasure of meeting one-to-one and interviewing IRS Whistleblower Office Director Whitlock for an article on "best practices" for lawyers who pursue IRS Whistleblower claims, which will appear in Taxpayers Against Fraud's publication, the TAF Quarterly Review.

As this whistleblower lawyer blog has followed closely, much progress with the new IRS Whistleblower Program has occurred since Director Whitlock first appeared at the TAF Annual Conference a year ago to explain the new program.

In December 2007, the IRS issued its long-anticipated interim "guidance" for pursuing IRS Whistleblower claims.

An explosion of new claims followed that announcement, as the total claims quickly grew tenfold from 80 to 800 (not counting claims screened out by the Whistleblower Office). The leanly-staffed Whistleblower Office has grown to only fifteen, many of whom were in attendance yesterday.

Meanwhile, in June 2008 the United States Tax Court--which will hear any appeals of whistleblower rewards--has proposed amendments to its Rules of Practice and Procedure regarding whistleblower award actions, which can be found at http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/press/060208.pdf. Thus, it was very productive to bring together Tax Court Judge Carluzzo, whistleblower attorneys, and Director Whitlock to discuss their own perspectives on issues arising in the pursuit of IRS Whistleblower claims.

We congratulate the Whistleblower Office staff members for the progress of the program, and applaud their professionalism in working with the hundreds of claims that are being submitted.

We also thank TAF Executive Director Jeb White for staging a first-class conference for the country's qui tam and IRS Whistleblower attorneys.

As this whistleblower lawyer blog has discussed before, accounting firms that promote fraudulent tax shelters are prime targets of IRS enforcement efforts (often assisted by IRS tax whistleblowers).

In a decision last week, the prosecution of 13 former KPMG partners and other executives for their alleged involvement in fraudulent tax shelters was thwarted--again. A panel of judges from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the trial judge's dismissal of the charges against these KPMG defendants.

The court did not find the tax shelters to be lawful, however. Instead, it agreed with the trial court that "the government deprived [the defendants] of their right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment by causing KPMG to place conditions on the advancement of legal fees to [the defendants], and to cap the fees and ultimately end them. Because the government failed to cure the Sixth Amendment violation, and because no other remedy will return [the defendants] to the status quo ante, we affirm the dismissal of the indictment."

We await the government's announcement whether it will ask the entire court to reconsider its ruling; seek review by the Supreme Court; or seek to bring other charges.

As we have written, tax fraud, tax evasion, and other violations of IRS laws, rules and regulations can be addressed--in criminal and civil cases, often with the help of whistleblowers--without violating the Constitution. Those enforcement efforts must continue, so that honest citizens do not get stuck paying more than their fair share of the tax burden.

As this whistleblower lawyer blog has written about often, abuses of offshore transactions have increasingly become a target of IRS enforcement efforts. A Utah attorney learned this lesson last week when he was sentenced to ten years in prison, and was ordered to pay $2.7 million, for his role in an offshore tax evasion scheme that deprived the government of more than $20 million in taxes.

Attorney Dennis B. Evanson of Sandy, Utah, was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, tax evasion and assisting in the filing of false tax returns charges. This lawyer used false documentation for fictitious currency transaction losses, false insurance expense deductions and bogus capital losses, all for the purpose of fraudulently offsetting taxable income for clients.

According to the government, the scheme relied in part on offshore companies, offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Nevis, services of offshore nominees, and opinion letters that purportedly authorized the fraudulent transactions.

Evanson and a co-conspirator received a fee that was typically equal to 30 percent of the tax evaded by his clients.

The conviction followed guilty pleas by another attorney, an accountant, and two certified public accountants, all of whom await sentencing.

"Promoters of elaborate offshore criminal financial schemes for the purpose of committing tax evasion isn't tax planning; it's criminal activity," stated Eileen Mayer, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigations. "Taxpayers should be wary of anyone claiming to be an expert on how to hide income from the IRS."

We commend the IRS and Justice Department for their success in pursuing offshore tax evasion.

As another step toward the further development of the new IRS Whistleblower Program, our friends at the IRS Large and Midsize Business Division (LMSB) in Lower Manhattan have announced a three-step process for IRS Whistleblower claims that are eligible for the new "rewards" authorized by Congress in December 2006.

IRS Commisioner Frank Ng describes it as a "process for analyzing informant information and disseminating it to the field" for claims with at least $2 million in question, which is the threshold amount for whistleblowers to be eligible to receive the new IRS whistleblower rewards of 15-30% of the government's recovery.

The first step is the "initial receipt of information and the initial review of the claim from the informant [whistleblower]," primarily by the IRS Whistleblower Office.

Second, the Whistleblower Office will "send the informant information to a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in each Business Operating Division," who will "evaluate the information provided by informants to determine its merit and what action should be taken."

As our whistleblower lawyer blog has written about previously, the IRS has taken steps to ensure that privileged or unlawfully obtained information is not presented. The 'Subject Matter Expert" will "insulate the audit team from direct contact with the whistleblower and must ensure the audit team does not receive 'tainted' information. Tainted information may include documents that are subject to privilege or were illegally obtained by the informant."

In the third step, "Counsel and the SME will make a recommendation to the Industry Director on the legal issues and risks associated with the informant information." The Industry Director then "will decide whether and how to proceed with the case."

The complete Memorandum from Commissioner Ng can be found at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/article/0,,id=185244,00.html.

We congratulate the IRS on the continued development of this valuable program!

At the Senate Finance Committee's hearing on the Cayman Islands and offshore tax evasion last week, Senator Charles Grassley reiterated the importance of the new IRS Whistleblower program to combat tax evasion, but also stressed the need for Congress to provide the IRS greater tools to address offshore tax evasion.

The July 24 hearing focused on GAO's investigation into the Ugland House, a law firm's office building in the Cayman Islands that is the registered address of thousands of corporations. The hearing also examined "U.S. income tax evasion by taxpayers who hide their assets and income in foreign bank accounts and foreign entities."

Sen. Grassley discussed the importance of the IRS Whistleblower program, as he observed that he had "pushed to get legislation passed that would increase rewards for individuals who blew the whistle on tax cheats and created an office at the IRS to coordinate whistleblower claims. These improvements were based on my experience with the False Claims Act that rewards whistleblowers who help the government find fraud in government contracting. This allows the IRS to take better advantage of whistleblower information that is often detailed, inside information. This is information that the IRS may not have otherwise received."

Recognizing some of the results of that effort, Grassley stated that he is "pleased that many at the IRS and Treasury now recognize the benefits of rewarding tax whistleblowers. It is vital that the IRS take full advantage of those who are willing to blow the whistle on tax fraud."

Grassley concluded by stating that he will announce new proposals to fight offshore tax evasion.

In our own discussions with IRS officials about our whistleblower clients, we have already seen (and written here about) the IRS's great enthusiasm for pursuing offshore tax abuses, involving hedge funds and otherwise. Private citizen whistleblowers are perhaps the best source of information about concealed abuses of the tax laws, which make us all pay more than our fair share of taxes.

We applaud Senator Grassley and the IRS for their resolve on these types of abuses.

This past week the IRS Commissioner of the Large and Midsized Business Division summarized the IRS's efforts to combat offshore tax evasion. He predicted that whistleblowers will become increasingly important to the IRS' efforts, given the existence of the new IRS Whistleblower rewards.

IRS Commissioner Frank Ng described to Congress the "critical importance to tax administration in this country -- the practice of sheltering U.S. earned income in foreign jurisdictions as a means of avoiding U.S. taxation."

He identified as "Tier I" issues the following transactions::

Transfer of intangibles/cost sharing
Abusive foreign tax credit transactions
Abusive hybrid instrument transactions
Transfer pricing
Foreign earnings repatriation

The IRS Commissioner described some of what has been revealed through ongoing investigations:

Ongoing IRS Investigations

In the area of ongoing investigations, let me start by laying out some of the facts about one case that I am able to discuss, because the case that I am about to describe is a matter of public record. It involves a major Swiss bank.

Continue reading "IRS Predicts Whistleblowers Will Be Important to Efforts to Combat Offshore Tax Evasion After UBS" »

This past week, more than 450 of the country's best employment lawyers who represent individuals gathered in Atlanta for the National Employment Lawyers Association's Annual Conference.

I had the pleasure of appearing with a group of excellent attorneys on a panel of that discussed "Strategic Thinking in Whistleblower Cases," moderated by Robin Potter of Chicago (who won a major victory last week).

Speakers at the 2008 NELA Conference panel on "Strategic Thinking in Whistleblower Cases" were (front row) David Marshall and Bryan J. Schwartz, and (back row) Michael A. Sullivan and Mark Kleiman.

David Marshall of D.C.'s Katz, Marshall & Banks, LLP began by discussing how nesessary whistleblowers are, as well as important considerations in pursuing Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower cases.

Bryan J. Schwartz of Nichols Kaster & Anderson’s office in San Francisco then spoke on strategies in representing federal employees as whistleblowers.

Next, Michael A. Sullivan (this whistleblower lawyer blog author) of Finch McCranie, LLP discussed briefly the trend of new State False Claims Acts, and then explained in greater detail the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program.

Mark A. Kleiman of Santa Monica closed by regaling the audience with lessons he has learned from False Claims Act litigation, in particular from the recent case against Merck that resulted in a huge settlement.

I enjoyed this terrific opportunity to work with and hear from these accomplished lawyers, and thank NELA (especially Terri Chaw and the NELA staff) and my friends at NELA-Georgia for organizing this outstanding conference. I applaud the work not only of my co-panelists at the NELA Conference, but also of the many NELA members who strive tirelessly to obtain justice for their clients.

One of the most meaningful improvements of the new IRS Whistleblower Program authorized by Congress in December 2006 is that IRS Whistleblowers have an enforceable right to a reward when they report significant tax violations. To enforce that right, tax whistleblowers can seek review by the U.S. Tax Court of award decisions.

This week, the United States Tax Court has proposed amendments to its Rules of Practice and Procedure regarding whistleblower award actions, which can be found at http://www.ustaxcourt.gov/press/060208.pdf. The IRS Whistleblower Office is expected to review the proposed Rules now and provide feedback to the Court.

The Tax Court also has invited public comments on the proposed amendments, to be received by July 31, 2008.

Excerpts of the Tax Court's announcement of the new proposed Rules for IRS Whistleblower claims are below:

Continue reading "New IRS Whistleblower Rules Are Issued by U.S. Tax Court " »

(Updated) For a national conference of employment lawyers, I was asked to participate in a panel discussion of "Strategic Thinking in Whistleblower Cases" and to explain the new IRS Whistleblower Program.

Because our whistleblower lawyer blog (http://www.whistleblowerlawyerblog.com/irs_rewards_program_tax/) has followed closely the development of the new IRS Whistleblower Program since Congress authorized it in December 2006, I will summarize here some of the key points about the IRS Whistleblower Program, which is still taking shape. By experimenting and using this "blog" as an old-fashioned seminar paper--with the interactive features of the web--the National Employment Lawyers Association lawyers (and others) may be able to "link to" other pertinent topics on the web, such as the various IRS materials discussed here.

Overview

Until December 2006, the Internal Revenue Service had no effective program to encourage whistleblowers to report tax fraud and tax violations. Rewards to "IRS Whistleblowers" were rare, slow, discretionary, and small--and typically could not exceed 15 percent of the amount recovered by the IRS. As a result, the "old" program was ineffective--even though the IRS historically has made good use of information from informants.

The new IRS Whistleblower Program provides the first meaningful rewards to whistleblowers who report substantial tax violations when at least $2 million is owed to the IRS. The amended IRS Whistleblower statute, 26 U.S.C. § 7623, doubles the rewards available to 15-30% of the government's recovery, and for the first time creates an enforceable right for the whistleblower to receive a reward. Not only taxes, but also interest and penalties, count in calculating the whistleblower’s reward.

Many challenges nonetheless remain in representing IRS Whistleblowers. Perhaps the greatest is convincing an overburdened IRS that your client's case is worth the investment of its limited resources. The IRS already has many other cases awaiting investigation, and would-be whistleblowers continually add to that "pile" by submitting hundreds of other potential cases.

Background--Why Now?

The new IRS Whistleblower rewards were inspired by another whistleblower statute, the federal False Claims Act. The successes of the False Claims Act over the past two decades convinced Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and others in Congress that meaningful whistleblower rewards are an effective tool for the government to recover public dollars obtained by fraud. Since the False Claims Act was amended in 1986 to increase the size of rewards and otherwise encourage "qui tam" lawsuits that expose fraud against the government, the federal government's fraud recoveries have grown dramatically--from less than $100 million in 1987, to more than $3 billion in 2006.

Tax violations, however, fall outside the False Claims Act, which expressly “does not apply to claims, records, or statements made under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.” 31 U.S.C. § 3729(e). As a result, there was no meaningful incentive for tax whistleblowers to come forward to the IRS before December 2006.

With a "tax gap" of more than $200 billion in estimated unpaid taxes each year, the old IRS program brought in less than $100 million annually--even though information from "insiders" historically has been quite productive for the IRS. In fact, the June 2006 Report of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) noted that, based on past experience,"examinations initiated based on informant information were often more efficient and effective." (See June 2006 Report of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration--which predated Congress' creation of the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program, entitled "The Informants Rewards Program Needs More Centralized Management Oversight," No. 2006-30-092. (
http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2006reports/200630092fr.pdf).

Continue reading "IRS Whistleblower Program: Updated Summary for Lawyers with Potential Tax Whistleblower Claims" »

Bogus tax shelters and other tax fraud and evasion are among the common reports by tax whistleblowers to whistleblower attorneys. Today, the government launched a new, coordinated federal effort by the IRS, the Justice Department's Tax Division, and U.S. Attorneys to stop fraudulent tax claims, frivolous tax returns, and bogus tax schemes.

Quoting former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ famous observation that “[t]axes are what we pay for a civilized society,” Nathan J. Hochman, the Tax Division’s Assistant Attorney General, announced the "National Tax Defier Initiative," or "TAXDEF." Its purpose is to "investigate, pursue and, where appropriate, prosecute those who take concrete action to defy and deny the fundamental validity of the tax laws."

According to the Tax Division, this TAXDEF initiative will:

--"Strengthen and expand coordination" among the Tax Division, the IRS, and U.S. Attorneys’ offices "to ensure that both criminal and civil enforcement tools are fully considered and utilized."

--"Leverage expertise and resources" so that agents and attorneys across the country may "efficiently detect, investigate and where appropriate, prosecute tax defiers," from a national perspective.

--Expand the government's use of injunctions to stop "tax defier activity. Since 2001 the Tax Division has obtained over 300 civil injunctions against tax promoters and preparers, over a third of which directly involved tax defier activity." The government views injunctions as a "powerful method of stopping the promotion of tax defier activity at the earliest possible moment," and estimates its collections at more than $600 million from these efforts.

--Maximize the government's use of technology to "detect, develop and prosecute cases." According to the Tax Division, the Internet in the last decade has "greatly facilitated tax defier activity and turned what was once a paper–based local or regional enterprise into a click and download national operation."

--"Alert and educate the public to the falsity of tax defier claims and publicize the consequences of tax defier conduct." The government says it wants "to pull back the curtain and show the public that the promoters of these schemes are not wizards imparting the secrets of a 'tax-free universe' but are nothing more than garden variety hucksters and modern day snake oil salesmen peddling tax evasion schemes."

Our whistleblower lawyer blog agrees with the government's theme today that tax cheats place a greater burden on the vast majority of honest Americans who pay their taxes. For this reason, those who expose tax cheating should be thanked for their efforts.

The government's announcement is at http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/April/08_tax_275.html.

The new IRS Whistleblower Program authorized by Congress in December 2006 continued its progress this week, with the IRS's announcement yesterday approving the use of contingent fee arrangements in retaining tax whistleblower attorneys.

Our whistleblower lawyer blog has followed the development of the new IRS Whistleblower Program since its infancy. The new tax whistleblower provisions are extremely important in the fight to protect taxpayer funds from fraud and other violations of the law.

In this March 27, 2008 announcement, Notice 2008-43, the IRS announced interim rules that would apply until it amends section 10.27(b) of Circular 230.

Citing the revised IRS Whistleblower statute, the interim rules state that "[a] practitioner may charge a contingent fee for services rendered in
connection with a claim under section 7623 of the Internal Revenue Code."

This is the second IRS announcement just this week about the new IRS Whistleblower Program. On March 25, 2008, the IRS announced temporary regulations concerning disclosing information to whistleblowers under contracts among the IRS, whistleblowers, and their attorneys.

We congratulate the IRS on moving forward with the new Whistleblower Program's development.

The IRS this week announced another interesting development in its new IRS Whistleblower Program, which this whistleblower lawyer blog has followed closely. This announcement addressed new regulations permitting the IRS to share tax return information with whistleblowers and their lawyers under written contracts with the IRS, and also to advise those whistleblowers and their attorneys about the status of their whistleblower claims.

On March 25, 2008, the IRS announced new, temporary regulations permitting "disclosure of [tax] return information . . . to a whistleblower and, if applicable, the legal representative of the whistleblower, to the extent necessary in connection with a written contract among the IRS, the whistleblower and, if applicable, the legal representative of the whistleblower, for services relating to the detection of violations of the internal revenue laws or related statutes."

If return information is disclosed to the whistleblower and the whistleblower's attorney under such an agreement, the information must be kept confidential. It "may not be disclosed or otherwise used by the whistleblower or a legal representative of a whistleblower, except as expressly authorized by the IRS."

How much the IRS may communicate with whistleblowers, and still fulfill legal requirements about privacy of taxpayers' returns, has been an interesting topic of discussion since the new IRS Whistleblower Program was created in December 2006. We look forward to discussing the new provisions with the very capable IRS officials who administer the new Whistleblower Program.

The new temporary regulations may be found at 26 C.F.R. § 301.6103(n)-2T(b)(1).