Tag Archives: fraud

When It Comes To Banking, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Is The Best Policy (offshore accounts)

by Brian Mahany (reprinted with permission from MahanyLaw.com)
Government tax authorities asking banks and credit card companies for information on foreign account holders is hardly news these days. The I.R.S. does it, so do Germany, Britain and many other countries. Officials want to know when their citizens transfer wealth overseas or open foreign accounts. Generally the

Send In The Clowns! (Do you know who is managing your money?)

by Brian Mahany
(reprinted from our sister firm, MahanyLaw’s blog. www.mahanylaw.com)
In January I wrote a piece titled “Do You Know Who Is Handling Your Money?”  That piece discussed how TV star Willie Adams (star of reality television show “Broke and Famous”) was now licensed to be a financial planner. Willie isn’t alone.
The newest entrant in my

How Stupid Can they Be? Plenty! (fraudulent conveyance article)

How Stupid Can They Get? Plenty Stupid!
(A discussion of fraudulent conveyances)
by Brian Mahany
(Reprinted from our sister firm’s blog, MahanyLaw, www.mahanylaw.com)
It was inevitable - massive fraud in the government’s bailout program from 2008. The U.S. Troubled Assets Relief Program (or “TARP”) had it’s first major arrest. Charles Antonucci, former head of New York’s Park Avenue Bank,

Clawbacks! Friend or Foe? Depends On Who You Ask.

by Brian Mahany
The term “clawback” is relatively new. In fact, you won’t find it in most dictionaries and even the on-line Wiktionary is quite vague in its definition; “Any recovery of a performance related payment based on discovery that the performance was not genuine.”  But ask the victim or former investor of Bernie Madoff or

250 Dead Taxpayers Seek IRS Refunds - Identity Theft Now Extends to the Grave.

By Brian Mahany
Every year at election time someone jokes about “voting early and often.”  Those jokes often refer to Chicago politicians and stories of dead people voting two or three times.  For this story we head west to California where two men have been indicted for filing 250 refund returns, all fraudulent and all for

IRS Criminal Division Announces 2010 Investigation Targets

by Brian Mahany
The IRS has announced its Criminal Investigation Annual Business Plan for FY2010. This year’s plan is part of the IRS’ larger 5 year strategic plan for 2009 - 2013. Those of us who are baby boomers remember the then Soviet Union’s “5 year plans.”  Like the IRS strategic plan, those plans were big

Main Street Takes On Wall Street’s Untouchables - the Accountants & Lawyers

by Brian Mahany
By now, few are shocked when the nightly news breaks a story of a new Ponzi scheme. Not a week goes by without new tales of corporate greed or insider trading.  The feds do a fair job in prosecuting these frauds, at least in the high profile cases. But what does a 20

Identity Theft & Taxes (and recovery options for victims)

by Brian Mahany
Identity theft is a huge problem in this country. According to the FTC, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year.  So who can we trust to protect us? Unfortunately, not the IRS.
Stories of hackers breaking into business computer systems to steal credit card information and Internet phishing schemes

Does Justice Prevail? Ask Jackie Young!

by Brian Mahany
Jackie’s lawyers settled an employment discrimination suit against Bell South for $5000 in 1997. Twelve years later Jackie would recover millions of dollars - against her lawyers for mishandling her case.
We generally blog to share important legal developments and helpful tips with our clients and the community. Today’s blog is a tragic story