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Proposed Changes to NY FCA Tax Provisions Rattle Potential Tax Fraudsters

Posted 10/16/20

Albany New York Capitol Complex buildings against blue sky

New York is one of several states that has provisions in its state False Claims Act (“NY FCA”) allowing whistleblower (or qui tam) suits for violations of the state’s tax laws. On August 3, 2020 (Senate) and October 7, 2020 (Assembly), the New York state legislature, introduced bills proposing revisions to the NY FCA’s tax provisions.

The Proposed Legislation

The Senate bill’s accompanying memorandum...

Tagged in: FCA State, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Legislation and Regulation News, Tax Fraud,

Catch of the Week: Texas-Sized Indictment for $2 Billion Tax Fraud

Posted 10/16/20

texas longhorn bull standing in open grass field

Everything sure is bigger in Texas. Bigger hair, bigger churches, bigger stadiums, bigger ranches, and bigger sky. Oh, and as of this week, bigger billionaires committing bigger frauds! On Thursday, federal prosecutors in California charged Robert T. Brockman, a Houston tech executive, with hiding $2 billion in income from the Internal Revenue Service. True to Texas form, David L. Anderson, the U.S. attorney...

Tagged in: Abusive Tax Shelters, Catch of the Week, Importance of Whistleblowers, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Money Laundering, Tax Fraud,

Top Ten Tax Enforcement Actions of 2019

Posted 01/17/20

Hundred Dollar Bills with American Flag, and 1040 Tax Form

Tax fraud and tax evasion persist each year in various forms and whistleblowers have been at the forefront in combatting entities and individuals cheating the system. Under the IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, whistleblowers who bring information regarding tax fraud to light that results in a recover of over $2 million can be eligible for a reward between 15 to 30% of the government’s recovery. The IRS...

Tagged in: Abusive Tax Shelters, Employment Tax Fraud, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Tax Fraud, Top 10,

Tax Whistleblowers Gain New Protections and Collect Over $120 Million in Awards in 2019

Posted 01/10/20

The IRS Whistleblower Program released its FY 2019 Annual Report to Congress this week, sharing details on its continued efforts to improve transparency, enforce whistleblower anti-retaliation provisions, and enhance communications. The IRS Whistleblower office also reported that in 2019:

- The U.S. collected over $616 million in proceeds attributable to whistleblower information; and
- The IRS paid over...

Tagged in: IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Statistics, Tax Fraud,

Catch Our Rising Star!

Posted 10/17/19

Law360 has tapped Michael Ronickher, partner in the whistleblower practice at Constantine Cannon, for its 2019 Rising Star series. Law360 selected Mike for his work representing whistleblowers in all manner of reward programs, including his role in the groundbreaking cybersecurity whistleblower case against Cisco. What motivates Mike? His clients: “Our clients are a real reason that we all get out of bed in...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, FCA Federal, Importance of Whistleblowers, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Whistleblower Rewards,

How to Become an IRS Whistleblower

Posted 10/16/19

Answers to Common Questions from Prospective IRS Whistleblowers

[caption id="attachment_46025" align="alignright" width="325"]

Click for full size image[/caption] Although some state False Claims Acts allow whistleblowers to bring lawsuits based on violations of state and local tax laws, the federal False Claims Act (FCA) specifically excludes tax claims. Fortunately, the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of...

Tagged in: Importance of Whistleblowers, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Tax Fraud, Whistleblower Answers, Whistleblower Rewards,

Promising Changes to IRS Whistleblower Program – Tax Whistleblowers Now Protected Against Retaliation and Improved Communication when Reporting Tax Violations

Posted 08/21/19

Recent legislation marks a potential huge step forward for the IRS Whistleblower Program, which offers rewards of 15 to 30% of government recoveries to whistleblowers who report tax avoidance. The Taxpayer First Act (TFA), which came into force on July 1, 2019 introduced key reforms that should benefit whistleblowers reporting tax evasion and underreporting. A few months ago, the IRS Whistleblower Office released...

Tagged in: Importance of Whistleblowers, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Statistics, Tax Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Eligibility,

The Latest on Cryptocurrency, Offshore Tax Avoidance and Money-Laundering, and Whistleblowing: A Report from OffshoreAlert Miami 2019

Posted 05/3/19

Hanging Hundred Dollar Bills on Clothes Line

“A diverse collection of the hunters and the hunted.” That’s how the Wall Street Journal described the OffshoreAlert Conference in 2009. The 2019 conference was no different, bringing together those who work in the offshore industry, the government enforcers who try to stop the unscrupulous among them, and the asset recovery professionals who pursue lost funds. Alongside them were whistleblowers and their...

Tagged in: CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, Cryptocurrency, Financial and Investment Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Market Manipulation and Trading Violations, Money Laundering, Ponzi Schemes, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Securities Fraud, Tax Fraud,

Annual 2018 IRS Whistleblower Program Report

Posted 03/25/19

Tax whistleblowers and those who believe that no one should be able to lie, cheat, or buy their way out of paying their tax bills got some good news in the IRS Whistleblower Office’s report last month on the 2018 fiscal year. Notably, the IRS issued 217 whistleblower awards totaling over $312 million, a nearly tenfold increase over the prior year. That’s an enormous shot in the arm for what should be a highly...

Tagged in: IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Statistics, Tax Fraud,

What the Government Shutdown Means for Whistleblowers

Posted 01/3/19

Lincoln Memorial behind fence with sign saying closed for shutdown

As of January 3, 2019, the federal courts are still open, and say they can stay open at least through January 11 by using available funds from court fee payments and other sources not dependent on new appropriations. However, most Department of Justice civil attorneys have been furloughed. Without attorneys from DOJ, cases involving the United States are not be able to proceed as they normally would. ...

Tagged in: CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, FCA Federal, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program,

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Proposed Changes to NY FCA Tax Provisions Rattle Potential Tax Fraudsters

The Proposed Legislation

Catch of the Week: Texas-Sized Indictment for $2 Billion Tax Fraud

Top Ten Tax Enforcement Actions of 2019

Tax Whistleblowers Gain New Protections and Collect Over $120 Million in Awards in 2019

Catch Our Rising Star!

How to Become an IRS Whistleblower

Promising Changes to IRS Whistleblower Program – Tax Whistleblowers Now Protected Against Retaliation and Improved Communication when Reporting Tax Violations

The Latest on Cryptocurrency, Offshore Tax Avoidance and Money-Laundering, and Whistleblowing: A Report from OffshoreAlert Miami 2019

Annual 2018 IRS Whistleblower Program Report

What the Government Shutdown Means for Whistleblowers

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