Tax Fraud - 65 Year Old Man Sentenced to Federal Prison - White Collar Crime Speaker Chuck Gallagher Comments

Death and taxes - mama always said that they were the two facts of life. It seems as we enter the 2008 tax season, we are seeing more convictions for tax evasion or fraud. Just like in the Wesley Snipes trial - the one he was convicted for not filing his tax returns - people seem to think that they have a right to not file - that somehow it is not legal to require filing and payment of taxes. Regardless of the arguments, the reality is people are seemingly convicted weekly for the same thing brother Wesley did - not file tax returns.

Big mistake!

David M. Turpin, age 65, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for not filing income tax returns. Turpin pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2007, to two counts of failing to file income tax returns for the years of 1999 and 2000. According to court documents, Turpin had failed to file tax returns from 1996 to 2000, and the amount of tax he owed for those five years was in excess of $100,000.

Every choice has a consequence. As a white collar crime and business ethics speaker, I speak from first hand experience about the truth about consequences. Reality is - no one escapes the consequences of their choices. While the Turpin avoided the “tax man” for a time - he did not avoid the consequences. You do reap what you sow.

White Collar Crime Speaker - Chuck Gallagher - signing off…