Salt Lake City Tax Fraud Lawyers

Salt Lake City Tax Fraud Lawyers: When Charity CEOs Buy Maseratis With Unreported Kickbacks

Ashley Robinson was the CEO of a Salt Lake City-based charity that collected and distributed medical supplies to people overseas who needed them. He also had a secret arrangement with a purported donor named Gurcharan “Jazzy” Singh. Singh provided medical supplies that appeared to be donations. Robinson sold them to third parties and passed most of the proceeds back to Singh. His compensation: up to 10% of the total. From 2013 through 2019, Robinson personally received $1.3 million from this arrangement. He didn’t report the income on his tax returns.

Instead, he used the money to pay off his mortgage and buy a Maserati, a Mercedes Benz, and an Audi for a coworker. His sentence: one year and one day in federal prison plus $485,982 in restitution. The charity CEO whose job was helping people overseas was helping himself to luxury vehicles funded by unreported kickbacks.

The Charity CEO Who Bought A Maserati

Ashley Robinson of Farmington was the CEO of a charity. Not just any charity – one that collected medical supplies and distributed them to people in need overseas. The mission was helping others. The reality was helping himself.

The arrangement with Gurcharan “Jazzy” Singh was elegant in its dishonesty. Singh provided medical supplies to Robinsons charity, making it appear as if the supplies had been donated. Robinson arranged for the charity to sell the goods to third parties. Most of the sale proceeds went back to Singh.

From 2013 through 2019, Robinson personally received $1.3 million from this arrangement. One point three million dollars over six years. Thats more then $200,000 per year in unreported income.

U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parish sentenced Robinson to one year and one day in federal prison. The court ordered $485,982 in restitution to the IRS. His co-conspirator Singh was seperately prosecuted in California and also received one year and one day.

The IRS Employee Who Stole ExxonMobil Credits

Rodney Quinn Rupe of Syracuse, Utah was a former IRS account management employee. His position gave him access to taxpayer accounts and case processing tools in an IRS computer database. He could adjust tax credits, penalties, and interest. Then he used that access to steal.

From July 2021 to March 2024, Rupe devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from the IRS and ExxonMobil. He set up his own company called “Ex Xo Exteriors LTD.” He used his IRS access to reassign $2,021,986.40 in tax credits from ExxonMobils account to his companys account.

Rupe applied the stolen tax credits to his companys 2019 account, which led to the IRS issuing a refund of $2,100,377.38. Two point one million dollars in a Treasury check, issued becuase a former IRS employee manipulated database entries.

Rupe now faces eleven federal counts including wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and theft of government property.

Ten Years For The Offshore Attorney

Dennis Evanson of Sandy, Utah was an attorney. His clients were wealthy people looking to reduce there tax obligations. His solution was offshore structures that cost the U.S. Treasury $20 million in lost revenue. His sentence was 120 months in federal prison – ten years.

Evanson led a conspiracy that helped 75 wealthy clients shield approximately $60 million in taxable income from the government. The scheme used offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands and Nevis. It involved false documentation for fictitious currency transaction losses.

Evanson pocketed $3 million from the scheme personally. U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell sentenced Evanson to 120 months in prison and 36 months supervised release.

For high-net-worth individuals in Salt Lake City approached by advisors offering offshore tax reduction strategies, the Evanson case is a warning. Seventy-five clients participated in Evansons scheme. Seventy-five people learned that offshore structures created by there trusted attorney were actualy federal crimes.

Fictitious Financial Instruments

Some defendants try to discharge tax debts through documents that look official but mean nothing. The IRS has seen every version of fictitious financial instruments. None of them work. All of them add charges.

Louis Hansen was a chiropractor and healthcare products business owner in Utah. In March 2012, Hansen presented a check to the IRS for $342,699.41 drawn on a closed bank account. Then in June 2012, he presented ten additional checks of $425,000 each from a different closed account to fraudulently discharge his tax debt.

Paul Ben Zaccardi of Sandy faced similar exposure. He was sentenced to two years in federal prison for tax evasion, filing $1.5 million in false claims for federal income tax refunds, and filing fictitious financial obligations.

Utahs Flat Tax Creates Federal Focus

Utah has a flat state income tax of 4.55%. Everyone pays the same rate regardless of income level. But that simplicity dosent reduce federal exposure. Utah residents still face federal income tax rates up to 37% for high earners.

The Robinson case involved $485,982 in restitution to the IRS – all federal. The Evanson case involved $20 million in lost federal tax revenue. The biggest exposure in Utah isnt the 4.55% state rate. Its the federal system that prosecutes evasion with prison sentences.

Defense Strategy In Salt Lake City

If your facing tax fraud exposure in Salt Lake City, the calculus involves understanding how the District of Utah operates.

The Robinson case shows that charity executives face prison for unreported compensation. The Rupe case shows that IRS employees who exploit database access face multiple federal charges. The Evanson case shows that attorneys who create offshore structures face decade-long sentences.

Heres what these cases have in common. By the time defendants faced prosecution, there options had narrowed dramaticaly. The investigations were complete. The evidence was gathered. The schemes were documented. The 90% federal conviction rate means fighting the charges rarely succeeds.

The time to address tax fraud exposure is before any of that happens. Voluntary disclosure programs exist. Coming forward before the IRS finds you creates opportunities to resolve issues civily – with penalties and interest, but potentialy without prison. Appeals go to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Your exposure persists untill you address it.