2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*242 Judgment entered for respondent.
MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION
CHIECHI, Judge: Respondent determined the following deficiencies in, additions under
Fraud
Additions to Tax Penalty
________________________________________ _______
Year Deficiency
1987 $ 24,505 $ 18,379 1 -- --
1988 $ 11,450 -- -- $ 8,588 --
1989 $ 13,257 -- -- -- $ 9,943
The only issue remaining for decision 2 is whether petitioner is entitled to a credit for the $ 65,000 that he forfeited to the United States. We hold that he is not.
FINDINGS OF FACT
Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found.
At the time petitioner filed the petition in this case, he resided in Rochester, Minnesota.
On a date not disclosed by the record, the United States Attorney for2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*244 the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. Attorney) instituted a criminal proceeding against petitioner (petitioner's criminal proceeding) and charged him in a document entitled "SUPERSEDING INFORMATION" (superseding information) with four counts (four counts) alleging violations of
1. From on or about April 8, 1991 through April 11, 1991,
at Chicago * * * defendant JAMES E. WELLS knowingly and
intentionally, for the purpose of evading the filing with the
Internal Revenue Service of a Currency Transaction Report (IRS
Form 4789), as required by
to structure and assist in the structuring, of a transaction
with domestic financial institutions, namely, by cashing twenty
simultaneously-purchased2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*245 and sequentially-numbered cashier's
checks, each drawn on Bell Federal Savings in the amount of
$ 2,000 and payable to defendant JAMES E. WELLS, at the following
domestic financial institutions in the following amounts on or
about the dates cited:
Date Amount Financial Institution
____ ______ _____________________
4/8/91 $ 10,000 New Rush Street Currency Exchange
4/9/91 10,000 New Rush Street Currency Exchange
4/9/91 4,000 New Milwaukee-Ogden Currency Exchange
4/9/91 4,000 Columbia Currency Exchange
4/10/91 2,000 New Milwaukee-Ogden Currency Exchange
4/11/91 10,000 New Milwaukee-Ogden Currency Exchange;
In violation of
2. From on or about April 12, 1991 through April 19, 1991,
at Chicago * * * defendant JAMES E. WELLS knowingly and
intentionally, for the purpose of evading the filing with the
Internal Revenue Service of2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*246 a Currency Transaction Report (IRS
Form 4789), as required by
to structure and assist in the structuring, of a transaction
with domestic financial institutions, namely, by cashing five
simultaneously-purchased and sequentially-numbered cashier's
checks, each drawn on National Security Bank in the amount of
$ 5,000 and payable to defendant JAMES E. WELLS, at the following
domestic financial institutions in the following amounts on or
about the dates cited:
Date Amount Financial Institution
____ ______ ______________________
4/12/91 $ 5,000 National Security Bank
4/16/91 10,000 New Milwaukee-Ogden Currency Exchange
4/19/91 10,000 New Milwaukee-Ogden Currency Exchange;
In violation of
3. From on or about April 8, 1991 to on or about April 19,
1991, defendant JAMES2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*247 E. WELLS engaged in the above-described
conduct in violation of
pursuant to Title
Title
following property and interests:
All of the defendant's property used and intended to be
used in any manner or part to commit or to facilitate the
commission of defendant's violations of Title 31, United States
Specifically, this includes the following: $ 65,000 of the
approximately $ 105,145 in cash recovered from personal
belongings of defendant JAMES E. WELLS at the time of his arrest
by officers of the Sarasota Police Department on or about
November 16, 1991.
In violation of
On April 22, 1993, petitioner and petitioner's attorney James I. Marcus (Mr. Marcus) entered into a plea agreement (petitioner's plea agreement) with the2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*248 U.S. Attorney. Petitioner's plea agreement stated in pertinent part:
This Plea Agreement is entirely voluntary and represents
the entire agreement between the United States Attorney and
defendant regarding defendant's criminal liability in * * *
[petitioner's criminal proceeding].
This Plea Agreement concerns criminal liability only, and
nothing herein shall limit or in any way waive or release any
administrative or judicial civil claim, demand or cause of
action, whatsoever, of the United States or its agencies.
Moreover, this Plea Agreement is limited to the United States
Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois and
cannot bind any other federal, state or local prosecuting,
administrative or regulatory authorities except as expressly set
forth in this Plea Agreement.
* * * * * * *
4. Defendant will enter a voluntary plea of guilty to the
superseding information in this case.
5. Defendant will plead guilty because he is in fact guilty
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*249 of the charges contained in the superseding information. In
pleading guilty, defendant admits the following facts and that
those facts establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt * * *
* * * * * * *
15. Nothing in this Plea Agreement shall limit the Internal
Revenue Service in its collection of any taxes, interest or
penalties from defendant, or defendant's partnership or
corporations. Defendant understands that the amount of tax as
calculated by the Internal Revenue Service may exceed the amount
of tax due as calculated for the criminal case.
* * * * * * *
22. Defendant acknowledges that the property identified in
the forfeiture allegation contained in the information in this
case constitutes substitute assets for the structured cash
transactions described in that forfeiture allegation. Defendant
further agrees to the entry of an order forfeiting any interest
defendant may hold in the property identified in the forfeiture
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*250 allegation of the information in this case.
* * * * * * *
25. Defendant and his attorney acknowledge that no threats,
promises, or representations have been made, nor agreements
reached, other than those set forth in this Plea Agreement, to
cause defendant to plead guilty.
On June 24, 1994, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, entered an order and judgment (U.S. District Court judgment) in petitioner's criminal proceeding. The U.S. District Court judgment in petitioner's criminal proceeding adjudged petitioner guilty of the four counts alleged in the superseding information and also ordered petitioner "to forfeit the following property to the United States: The amount of $ 65,000 to the United States".
On June 18, 1997, respondent issued to petitioner a notice of deficiency (notice) with respect to his taxable years 1987, 1988, and 1989. In that notice, respondent allowed no credit against the deficiencies, additions to tax, and penalty that respondent determined for those years (amounts due for the years at issue) for the $ 65,0002003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*251 forfeited to the United States pursuant to the U.S. District Court judgment in petitioner's criminal proceeding.
OPINION
Although not alleged in the petition, petitioner took the position at trial and takes the position on brief that he is entitled to a $ 65,000 credit (petitioner's claimed credit) against the amounts due for the years at issue. In support of his position, petitioner relies on his testimony at trial that at the time he signed petitioner's plea agreement he instructed his attorney Mr. Marcus to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney to have petitioner's claimed credit applied against the amounts due for the years at issue. On brief, petitioner contends for the first time that he would not have entered into petitioner's plea agreement without having had an agreement with the U.S. Attorney to apply petitioner's claimed credit against the amounts due for the years at issue.
We are unwilling to rely on petitioner's testimony about an agreement with the U.S. Attorney to apply petitioner's claimed credit against the amounts due for the years at issue. Petitioner's testimony is contradicted by petitioner's plea agreement2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*252 and the U.S. District Court judgment in petitioner's criminal proceeding. On the record before us, we find that petitioner is not entitled to petitioner's claimed credit.
We have considered all of the contentions and arguments of the parties that are not discussed herein, and we find them to be without merit, irrelevant, and/or moot. 3
2003 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 242">*253 To reflect the foregoing and the concessions of petitioner,
Decision will be entered for respondent.
1. All section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years at issue. All Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.↩
1. 50% of interest due on $ 24,505↩
2. Petitioner concedes all the determinations in the notice of deficiency.↩
3. Respondent argues that, even if the Court were to find that there was an agreement with the U.S. Attorney to have petitioner's claimed credit applied against the amounts due for the years at issue, no such credit should be permitted. That is because, according to respondent, a line of cases including