Last week, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment of a former CPA charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, money laundering and tax offenses. The defendant embezzled money from a dissolving company as well as from an elderly client, while she was alive and also after her death. He now faces up to 60+ years for his tax crimes.
The Department of Justice report gives the details:
The Indictment alleges that between 2013 and 2015, the defendant, who was at the time a certified public accountant, embezzled almost $3 million dollars from a trust created to pay the tax obligations of a dissolving company. While serving as the trustee, defendant used funds deposited into the trust account to finance his own business investments, including the purchase of multiple tax preparation franchises. The defendant also used trust account funds for his personal expenses, including the purchase of a luxury vehicle.
The Indictment further alleges that Rice had previously defrauded another client. In 2011, while purportedly providing estate-planning services for a client, Rice misappropriated $100,000, which the client provided to Rice to invest on her behalf. The defendant instead used this money to fund his own business ventures and pay personal expenses. Following that client’s death in 2012, Rice, who was also the executor of her estate, continued to collect her pension payments from a public employee retirement system, again using the funds for his personal benefit.
The Indictment also alleges that Rice was engaged in income tax fraud. The federal tax return Rice filed for 2013 did not include, as required by law, his illegal income from his fraud scheme and materially understated his income. After seeking an extension of time to file a tax return for 2014, defendant never filed a return for that tax year.
It's very important to work closely with an experienced IRS tax lawyer if you suspect you are being investigated or you have been accused of tax fraud. It’s best to have experienced tax representation from the onset to keep penalties at a minimum. These tax attorneys also are able to work with tax agents and other officials to see if a compromise settlement is possible.
