Tax

California-based attorney Eric John Witmeyer has received a non-custodial sentence in return for helping prosecutors with their case against his co-defendant and former business partner Jerome Schneider.Witmeyer was sentenced to one-year of probation and a $10,000 fine at the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of California on October 31, 2003.

In November, the Auditor General of Bermuda released a report on the "Work of his Office and on the Accounts of the Government of Bermuda for the Financial Year April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002". The report paints a

A business group headed by Russia's richest man, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in October for allegedly defrauding the state of $1 billion, stashed money in offshore centers, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands, the Seychelles, Panama and the Bahamas, according to Yelena Collongues-Popova, who worked for one of Khodorkovsky's associates. Lucy Komisar, a New York investigative reporter who is writing a book about the offshore banking and corporate secrecy system, interviewed Collongues-Popova. This is her story.

Five and a half years after being exposed as a criminal by OffshoreAlert, offshore businessman Marc M. Harris, 38, has been found guilty of 16 counts of money laundering and tax evasion.Harris was convicted by a jury on November 24, 2003 following six days of testimony at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Fort Lauderdale. He did not testify on his own behalf or call a single witness.

Offshore services provider Marc M. Harris, 38, was today found guilty of 16 counts of money laundering and tax evasion.A jury at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Fort Lauderdale, found him guilty of

There will be no verdict in the Marc Harris money laundering tax evasion trial until Monday, November 24 at the earliest.The jury retired to consider its verdict at 12.35 p.m. today and the judge allowed jurors to deliberate until well

A jury in Florida will retire tomorrow to determine the fate of offshore businessman Marc Harris.After five days of presenting several witnesses and mountains of documented evidence, the United States Government wrapped up its case against Harris at 3.48 pm

Police were called to the office of Marc Harris in Panama when a client turned up demanding access to his funds, a jury in Florida heard today.Despite their presence, Joseph Vigna testified that he would not leave the premises but

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the Czech Republic into Viliam Duris for alleged tax evasion.

Offshore businessman Marc Harris advised two of his United States-based clients to destroy their business records and flee to Panama in 1995 when they were being audited by the IRS, a jury in Florida heard today.Tony Vigna and his son, Joseph, took the advice, shredding and burning documents concerning their illegal refrigerant gas smuggling operation and moving to Panama, said federal prosecutor Gregory Tortella in his opening argument on the first day of what is expected to be a nine-day trial.

Despite late efforts to have charges against him thrown out, offshore businessman Marc Harris will go on trial for 30 counts of money laundering and tax evasion in Miami, Florida on November 10.Harris will be defended by Frank Rubino, a

The manager of a Nauru-licensed bank that was operated illegally in Nevis has been criminally indicted in the United States for alleged fraud concerning another bank that he operated.Dennis L. Shollenburg was arrested on August 18, 2003 - five months after a sealed indictment was brought against him at the U. S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Criminal Information in USA v. Moises Kriger at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Complaint for the arrest of Juha-Pekka Rouvinen and extradition from the USA to Finland to face charges of tax fraud.  

Offshore asset protection specialist Marc Harris, who is in custody awaiting trial, has failed to have a 13-count tax evasion and money laundering indictment against him dismissed at federal court in Miami, Florida.On October 6, 2003, Judge James I. Cohn denied two motions by Harris to dismiss all or some of the 13 counts brought against him on May 6, 2003.

Superseding Indictment alleging tax fraud and money laundering in USA v. Marc M. Harris at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

A Grand Jury in Miami returned a superseding indictment on September 30 against offshore provider Marc Harris, adding one count of conspiring to defraud the IRS and eight counts of tax evasion to the 13 counts of money laundering first brought against him in May. Harris faces a maximum penalty of 5 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge and each tax evasion charge, up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 on each money laundering count and a maximum penalty of 3 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the false return charges, stated prosecutors.

Offshore asset protection businessman Marc Harris has filed motions to dismiss a 13 count money laundering indictment brought against him in Florida. Among the grounds put forward by Harris' attorney, Joaquin Fernandez, are "statute of limitations" bars and "pre indictment

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Austria into Doris Reschitzoeger and others for alleged tax evasion.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Australia into Roger Gregory Matson, his wife, Janette Matson; and their two children, Baron Matson and Matilda Matson for alleged fraud and money laundering.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau has called for a ban on U. S.-based financial institutions from doing business with offshore financial centers that have "unreasonable secrecy laws".

A federal judge in Miami has granted a motion by Marc Harris to have his trial start date put back from August 11, 2003 so that he can review evidence against him.In an order dated August 20, 2003, Judge Donald L. Graham set a new two-week period from October 6, 2003 to October 17, 2003 to try the 13 counts of money laundering that have been brought against Harris.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for an investigation in Russia into alleged fraud and embezzlement by Nikolai Fedorovich Fedoruk, Head of the Municipal Council of the Rybatskoye Municipal Entity.

Offshore businessman Marc Harris and his employees associates in Panama assumed bogus officer roles in a sham offshore company and produced phony invoices, false bills of lading and backdated documents as part of an elaborate scheme to help a client

Panama's government is to carry out an investigation into allegations of corruption involving its own officials and offshore crook Marc Harris, according to the local media. President Mireya Moscoso announced on August 6 that a Commission would be appointed to conduct the inquiry, reported La Prensa newspaper.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Denmark into Daniash nationals Steen Stensig Bruus and Leif Steffensen Christensen for alleged tax fraud.

Jailed offshore provider Marc Harris has hired former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega's attorney to defend him against 13 counts of money laundering in Miami.Frank A. Rubino confirmed to OffshoreAlert that: "I am representing Mr. Harris in the U. S. District Court for the money laundering charges filed against him."

One of the biggest issuers of offshore credit cards, Leadenhall Bank & Trust in the Bahamas, has had its card issuing license terminated by MasterCard.Effective July 29, 2003, all MasterCards issued by Leadenhall Bank were cancelled - a victim of the U. S. clampdown on the use of offshore cards to access the proceeds of crime, including tax evasion.

Indictment in USA v. James Carroll Sexton, James Carroll Sexton, Jr., a.k.a. Jimmy Sexton; Rudolf Walter Ritter, and Egon Walter Fink at the U. S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the Netherlands into HR Hilber into alleged bribery and tax fraud.

Offshore businessman Marc M. Harris was tipped off that U. S. criminal investigators were in Nicaragua looking for him the night before his arrest after being indicted in Florida for money laundering, OffshoreAlert has been told. Despite the tip-off, Harris spent the night in Managua and was arrested the next morning — on June 10 — as he traveled to the country's immigration department with his attorney.

Credit cards issued by Bahamas-based Leadenhall Bank & Trust and other offshore banks were used to access over $100 million in 2001 alone by residents of New York's tri-state area, according to Manhattan's District Attorney. Robert M. Morgenthau made the claim in a press release issued on June 26, 2003 when he disclosed that one Leadenhall client had pleaded guilty to tax evasion and another was under investigation.

Offshore businessman Marc M. Harris, watched by his mother and represented by a public defender, was denied bail today in Miami, where he pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of money laundering."It's clear to me that the government has established by a preponderance of the evidence that he is a risk of flight," said Magistrate Judge William Turnoff.

The prospect of offshore financial services provider Marc Harris being charged with perjury to go along with 13 counts of money laundering was raised during his first court appearance in Miami today after being arrested and deported from Nicaragua yesterday. The clerk at Miami Magistrates Court reminded the prosecution of this option after drastically different accounts of Harris' occupation and finances were given during a hearing which lasted less than five minutes.

A businessman who has been involved with at least two fraudulent offshore investment schemes has been criminally indicted in the United States. Dennis O. Poseley was indicted on one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States at the U.

Criminal Indictment alleging money laundering in USA v. Marc M. Harris at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Sweden into Per Bjorklund and Tania Bjorklund for alleged tax fraud.

Offshore financial services provider and asset protection book author Terry L. Neal has been criminally indicted on tax-related offenses in the United States for the second time in three months.A 13-count superseding indictment was filed on April 23, 2003 against Neal, of St. Kitts and Oregon; and three associates, Lee. E. Morgan, of Oregon; James Fontano, of Nevada; and Aaron Young, of Oregon.

Yet another person associated with the Global Prosperity Group, which promotes tax and investment fraud at offshore conferences, has been criminally indicted in the United States on tax-related charges.John J. Rizzo, who owns a home in the Bahamas, hid his income from the sale of a tax evasion product known as the Millennium 2000 Reliance Defense Program, accroding to the indictment.Rizzo, 51, a.k.a. John Rizzo-Nix; his wife, Carol Ann Rizzo, 57, a.k.a. Carol Rizzo-Nix; and Cheryl A. Cully were indicted on April 4, 2003 at the U. S. District Court for the District of Arizona.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Denmark into Henrik Haugberg Madsen for alleged tax crimes.

The IRS and the United States Department of Justice have taken legal action to obtain records from MasterCard accounts at Bahamas-based Leadenhall Bank & Trust.

A United States judge has ordered offshore bank broker Jerome Schneider to turn over his records to government prosecutors, who are prosecuting him with fraud.

A former attorney with UK solicitors Radcliffes Le Brasseur is still awaiting sentencing in the United States six months after admitting his part in a scheme to defraud the IRS using offshore structures. Jeremy A. Franks pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud at the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on September 27, 2002 and was released on bail of $100,000.

Two senior members of the tax evasion/investment fraud organization known as the Global Prosperity Group and the Institute of Global Prosperity, one of whom organized a conference in Bermuda in 1998, have pleaded guilty to tax evasion in the United States. Worryingly for tens of thousands of U. S. residents who are believed to be IGP clients, Margo E. Jordan and Shoshanna B. Szuch have agreed to co-operate with investigations into others in return for leniency.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Ukraine into International Investment Corporation, a.k.a. Interinvest, for alleged tax evasion.

Memorandum Opinion and Order in Mark D. Schwan, Paul M. Schwan, and Lawrence A. Burgdorf, as Co-Executors of the Estate of Marvin M. Schwan, v. USA at the U. S. District Court for the District of South Dakota.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the United Kingdom into Ram Nagrani and Import Trader Limited for suspected tax fraud.

A civil complaint has been filed against a group that has made a fortune by persuading U. S. citizens they are legally not required to pay income tax and by promoting fraudulent get-rich-quick schemes at conferences in offshore centers such as Aruba, Bermuda and the Bahamas. Plaintiff David Wayne Starkey claims he followed the tax advice only to end up being sentenced to eight months in prison in August, 2000 for willful failure to file a return.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in Brazil into Salim Bayde Filho, Jr. and his wife, Carla Maria Pinheiro Bayde, for suspected tax evasion through their company Diogenes Bayde Importadora e Exportadora Ltda.

Application for the appointment of a Commissioner to collect evidence for a criminal investigation in the Netherlands into Hyperion NV, Lin Michael Arthur Leadbetter and William H. Kuhl for suspected tax evasion.