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New Orleans D.A. Jason Williams: Tax Fraud Trial
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:23 pm
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:23 pm
Any predictions on what the jury will do?
Yoga classes, Mardi Gras season spending and a music streaming service were among the purchases that Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams claimed on his law firm's federal tax returns, prosecutors said Friday, contributing to the $765,258.85 in bloated business expenses that they allege he put forth to reduce his tax burden over five successive years.
Yoga classes, Mardi Gras season spending and a music streaming service were among the purchases that Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams claimed on his law firm's federal tax returns, prosecutors said Friday, contributing to the $765,258.85 in bloated business expenses that they allege he put forth to reduce his tax burden over five successive years.
9
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:36 pm to UncleLester
Ive kept up with it in twitter some. The irs did a shite investigation and Williams was smart enough to never have any 1:1 interactions with the tax guy other than when they met. It all went thru his partner. He might get off and have a hefty tax bill waiting.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:36 pm to UncleLester
Regardless of which side of the aisle the defendant is on, politically, I’m not convicting anyone in federal court for a white collar crime until they un-weaponize the DOJ and letter agencies. Feds don’t want me on a jury. I would only convict someone that poses a credible threat to society if released into the public.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:42 pm to UncleLester
He'll be found not guilty.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:46 pm to UncleLester
Obviously they’re going to try to pin it all on the accountant, as if he just unilaterally decided to redo all those returns to cut their taxes by hundreds of thousands of dollars and they were innocently just signing off in them but I can’t imagine that is ultimately a viable defense, but it’s all they have.
If sitting back and pointing the finger at the tax preparer was a viable defense imagine how impossible it would be to convict for tax fraud.
If sitting back and pointing the finger at the tax preparer was a viable defense imagine how impossible it would be to convict for tax fraud.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:53 pm to LSUBogeyMan
He walks. Juries are even compromised today ...
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:54 pm to UncleLester
Not guilty prediction. Crappy investigation, and the prosecution sounded pathetic. Maybe some witnesses crawfished on them or the judge shut down their intended case. Sounded like a poor delivery that didn’t get to intent.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:55 pm to BigMob
quote:
I would only convict someone that poses a credible threat to society if released into the public.
Jason Williams qualifies here.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 12:55 pm to PUB
I know an alternate on this jury, can't wait to hear what she thinks about it all.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 1:01 pm to UncleLester
The defense did not call any witnesses.
The defense is basically saying... yup... we owe the money... and we would have paid it long ago if someone told us to. But we trusted this guy to file our tax returns and he told us we didn't owe anything.
Basically the tax preparer would the records and file a return with them.
Look... I do this for a living. My clients often have personal expenses - obvious personal expenses - in them. We always do a quick review of obvious accounts where these expenses reside - and if they look personal, we ask about it.
I am not perfect. Sometimes, things sneak through. I'd like to think 765K over five years would not sneak through.
There are a lot of "tax preparers" out there who won't ask any questions, though.
Williams found a guy who would not ask any questions and then claimed plausible deniability. No way a guy like him with a firm that size should be using a unenrolled tax preparer. Williams knew what he was doing when those personal expenses were put into the company books.
Williams signed those returns. By singing, he takes responsibility for them.
He tried to cheat the system and he got caught. He will pay the taxes, great. But he still cheated the system.
Now... is that enough to convict him? The feds can say whatever they want... I truly believe if he was just a regular attorney and not a politician criminal charges would not have been filed. 150K of deductions a year at a 35% tax rate - about 50K a year in taxes. While that sounds like a lot (and it is), criminal charges usually involves amounts that are exponentially higher.
So should he be held to a higher standard than others?
The facts and the law show he should be convicted. I can also see the jury thinking this is relative small potatoes and being annoyed with the feds, and letting him go.
The defense is basically saying... yup... we owe the money... and we would have paid it long ago if someone told us to. But we trusted this guy to file our tax returns and he told us we didn't owe anything.
Basically the tax preparer would the records and file a return with them.
Look... I do this for a living. My clients often have personal expenses - obvious personal expenses - in them. We always do a quick review of obvious accounts where these expenses reside - and if they look personal, we ask about it.
I am not perfect. Sometimes, things sneak through. I'd like to think 765K over five years would not sneak through.
There are a lot of "tax preparers" out there who won't ask any questions, though.
Williams found a guy who would not ask any questions and then claimed plausible deniability. No way a guy like him with a firm that size should be using a unenrolled tax preparer. Williams knew what he was doing when those personal expenses were put into the company books.
Williams signed those returns. By singing, he takes responsibility for them.
He tried to cheat the system and he got caught. He will pay the taxes, great. But he still cheated the system.
Now... is that enough to convict him? The feds can say whatever they want... I truly believe if he was just a regular attorney and not a politician criminal charges would not have been filed. 150K of deductions a year at a 35% tax rate - about 50K a year in taxes. While that sounds like a lot (and it is), criminal charges usually involves amounts that are exponentially higher.
So should he be held to a higher standard than others?
The facts and the law show he should be convicted. I can also see the jury thinking this is relative small potatoes and being annoyed with the feds, and letting him go.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 1:15 pm to UncleLester
Very poor job by prosecution. He’s guilty as sin but will walk due to incompetence.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 1:15 pm to LSUFanHouston
My thoughts...
Feds don't bring charges unless they got the goods.
Jail time reserved for the guys that hide income, he did not hide income.
Questionable deductions will be disallowed and he'll pay taxes on that income plus fines.
He will continue to blame accountant/preparer and pay what government says he owes. There will be zero fallout from this.
Feds don't bring charges unless they got the goods.
Jail time reserved for the guys that hide income, he did not hide income.
Questionable deductions will be disallowed and he'll pay taxes on that income plus fines.
He will continue to blame accountant/preparer and pay what government says he owes. There will be zero fallout from this.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 1:19 pm to rltiger
After all this time discussing this case I just realized I know a couple. Both lawyers in Nola. One works for the Orleans DA and her husband is an AUSA. Wonder how their home life is going right now 
Posted on 7/26/22 at 2:11 pm to UncleLester
quote:
Yoga classes, Mardi Gras season spending and a music streaming service were among the purchases that Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams claimed on his law firm's federal tax returns, prosecutors said Friday, contributing to the $765,258.85 in bloated business expenses that they allege he put forth to reduce his tax burden over five successive years.
The only problem I see here is that he is a democrat who loves him some taxes. I mean does anyone that owns some sort of corporation or partnership not do this?
Posted on 7/26/22 at 2:38 pm to LSUFanHouston
quote:
Williams found a guy who would not ask any questions and then claimed plausible deniability. No way a guy like him with a firm that size should be using a unenrolled tax preparer. Williams knew what he was doing when those personal expenses were put into the company books.
Williams signed those returns. By singing, he takes responsibility for them.
He knew exactly what he was doing, and from what I have heard...most people that thought he was done before now think he will 100% walk.
He was really smart about being a scumbag and the IRS and US Attorneys did a terrible, terrible job. They thought he would just fold and take a deal like 98% do and he didn't.
He's going to walk.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 2:44 pm to SlowFlowPro
quote:
her husband is an AUSA.
yeah she is the treasurer for the fundraising arm of the elementary school that my kids used to attend. happy we are done with the school. fairly certain some money has been "moved" because they never offer books or any sort of financial reports.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 2:53 pm to BigMob
quote:
would only convict someone that poses a credible threat to society if released into the public.
All the criminals Jason Williams is letting out and you said that
Posted on 7/26/22 at 3:20 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
He was really smart about being a scumbag and the IRS and US Attorneys did a terrible, terrible job. They thought he would just fold and take a deal like 98% do and he didn't.
Fred Heebe showed that if you have enough money and enough balls to punch back... you can win.
But that case never made it to trial.
If the USA loses this one... wow.
Used to be that the USA never lose these kinds of trials. All this time... and a favorable judge... and they still lose? Damn.
Posted on 7/26/22 at 3:22 pm to LSUFanHouston
quote:
If the USA loses this one... wow.
Used to be that the USA never lose these kinds of trials. All this time... and a favorable judge... and they still lose? Damn.
Every attorney I have talked to now believes he will win. Everyone is pretty goddamn disappointed
Posted on 7/26/22 at 3:25 pm to UncleLester
He will not be convicted.
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