If you were in Jared Kushner’s shoes right now, you might find yourself suddenly in need of a good white-collar criminal defense lawyer. I say this because Forbes and other sources reported in early November that Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, could face federal charges related to security clearance documents and federal income tax filings. It remains to be seen if the investigation by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller will implicate the young politico.
What Does a White Collar Criminal Defense Lawyer Do?
Within the broad world of criminal defense, we have handled nearly every type of criminal case there is. It just comes with the territory when you have expertly represented Maine residents for most of your career. Although Mr. Berne is an attorney with over 40 years of criminal defense experience, he enjoys the support of a powerful legal team as well. In his practice, he and his team members often are asked the question of what white-collar crimes are. In this post, we consider the particular crime of tax evasion, which simply stated is failing to pay taxes on income or other assets that must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Digging Deeper
People undertake many different schemes and methods to avoid declaring all of their income on their federal tax returns. In Kushner’s case, the Forbes piece focused on whether he disclosed foreign bank account holdings, which must be disclosed by checking a box you on your IRS forms. The question of whether he is charged with tax evasion will hinge upon his intent; that is, whether Kushner intentionally failed to disclose those accounts or other sources of income which could result in charges of tax evasion or filing a false tax return.
What We Do
Circumstances like those described in the Forbes article about Jared Kushner, which include using illegal means of avoid paying taxes, informs readers why someone might need a competent, experienced tax evasion lawyer in Portland. According to Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute, “Misrepresentation may take the form either of underreporting income, inflating deductions, or hiding money and its interest altogether in offshore accounts.” When you are dishonest in filings with the feds or try to hide money to avoid paying taxes, you are assuming many serious risks. Of course you may get lucky and not face an audit by the IRS, but if your tax return picked for an audit you will be confronted by a federal agency known for its aggressive tactics including using its vast resources to bring cases against tax evaders. Thus mounting a defense for tax evasion on your behalf requires unique skills and expertise.
Getting Help Early On Matters
Being accused of a white-collar crime like tax evasion for people living in and near Portland, ME is serious business. Early intervention is the key to building a viable defense. If you are faced with defending charges of tax evasion or other federal crimes, there are potential serious consequences such as a felony conviction, incarceration in federal prison, large fines and other serious impacts on your life such as loss of employment, loss of professional licenses, and the like. For example, people who commit securities crimes may be barred from working in the financial industry for life. Thus, it is critically important to hire a tax evasion lawyer in Portland, ME, as soon as possible should you be facing an investigation or prosecution for tax related crimes.
We encourage you to contact us today and obtain the benefit of Richard S. Berne’s four decades of legal experience working for your defense.