If you have been charged with a crime, there are many ways that you can handle the issue. While most people think about going to court, presenting their case, and hoping that the judge or jury rules in their favor, that is actually not how most cases are resolved. For many cases, including white-collar cases, the defendant will engage in a plea bargain with the prosecuting attorney. This is where you come to an Read More

(Directly from the Internal Revenue Service) Just a quick note to update you on changes made by the IRS for the Identity Protection Pin (IP PIN). The IRS has expanded eligibility for its IP PIN test program to taxpayers in the top 10 locations where identity thefts are reported to the Federal Trade Commission. The locations are the original three test sites (Washington, D.C., Florida and Georgia) plus seven new Read More

Most dislike being audited by the IRS. Not only can it potentially cost a lot of money in taxes, penalties and interest, but it is a big hassle even if the IRS does not make any changes. While it is impossible to avoid all risk of an IRS audit, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of having to go through this experience. Review Your Business Entity Status If you are a business owner, you will want to Read More

One of the most common forms of white-collar crime is embezzlement. At its core, embezzlement is a crime of a violation of trust more than anything else. In order to be classified as embezzlement, the person committing the crime must have legal access to the property or other assets that they took. Where their actions become criminal is that they take the assets that they have access to and use it for their own Read More

If you have a dispute with the IRS, it may make it all the way up to the US Tax Court. This is the court where you as the taxpayer file a lawsuit against the IRS saying that what the IRS claimed in its audit was incorrect and that your claims are valid. The US Tax Court is unlike most courts in that it doesn’t determine guilt or innocence, but simply resolves a disagreement between the IRS and a taxpayer. Learning Read More

If you have been notified by the courts that you need to come in to testify as a witness to a crime or other event, you need to take it very seriously. Many people make the mistake of assuming that speaking as a witness is a minor task that can’t really cause any problems. The reality is, however, that witnesses have a variety of obligations to the court, and if you don’t meet them, it can cause serious legal Read More

For nearly a decade, the IRS had a program known as the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) in place to help taxpayers minimize penalties and avoid criminal liability when they voluntarily reported hidden offshore bank accounts. While this was considered by many to be an effective program, the IRS ended it in September of 2018. In November of 2018, the IRS announced what is considered to be the replacement Read More

Getting an audit notice from the IRS is every taxpayer’s worst nightmare. It makes sense that such a notice would cause some anxiety and concern. Remember that an audit notice can happen for a number of reasons. From random selection to actual cause, getting a notice doesn’t necessarily mean that something is wrong. There are three main types of audits with varying degrees of involvement. So, if you’ve received a Read More

The right to a trial by jury in criminal cases is guaranteed in the United States by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The process of jury selection is called voir dire and involves the random selection of jurors from a jury pool, followed by the subsequent selection of 6 to 12 jurors depending on the type of case and whether the case is in federal court or state court. During voir dire, generally the Read More

The phrase, “You are under arrest,” is never something you want to hear. But unfortunately, getting arrested happens, and regardless of the reason - whether you’re arrested during the alleged commission of a crime or at some other time under suspicion of one - there’s never going to be a time when you feel fully prepared. However, one of the most important things that you can do is to learn as much as you can about Read More