The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) generally begins investigating you if a discrepancy is detected in your income tax returns. A miscalculation can easily be corrected, but more troublesome errors with additional questionable documentation could subject you to both a civil and criminal investigation, called parallel proceedings. IRS agents will look for suspicious activity that does not support your tax returns or could be money laundering, such as large cash deposits or transfers with financial institutions, falsified documents, the use of false social security numbers, and problems with your taxes in the past.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and even the Baltimore Police can interview your family and friends and scrutinize your lifestyle to determine whether they believe illegal activities are involved. In some cases, they can seize assets without a warrant. If you suspect or know you are the subject of Baltimore tax fraud parallel proceedings, it is time to consult Whiteford Tax Defense, the only criminal tax lawyer in the area.
You can take steps to protect yourself if you suspect you are the subject of civil and criminal parallel proceedings. These include:
Much of the stress you are under during parallel proceedings because the IRS suspects you of tax fraud can be alleviated by letting a competent and experienced Baltimore attorney be your voice when dealing with an IRS problem.
The IRS works hard to find evidence, hidden assets, and undisclosed income. Agents conduct audits, which are deep dives into your financial activity, and they issue subpoenas and summonses to speak with others who can provide financial information about you. Agents can use informants meant to tip them off about your sources of income other than what you disclose, and undercover agents to infiltrate your workplace.
Surveillance techniques, such as GPS tracking, are also part of the IRS arsenal, as is using sophisticated technology, such as the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a division of the U.S. Treasury Department that matches your financial information in various databases to uncover fraudulent activity. While all of this seems daunting when you are the subject of Baltimore civil and criminal parallel investigations, it does not have to be if you rely on a skilled attorney.
Parallel procedures are troublesome if you are the target, and our attorney could help you clear up both the civil and criminal investigations by relying on years of experience. While civil investigations generally focus on failing to file your tax returns, which can result in a fine, criminal ones are more serious, including tax evasion and other fraud, because the fines are steeper and prison time is possible.
Our attorney is not intimidated by the IRS and other agencies investigating you. The level of experience Whiteford Tax Defense has should reassure you that our attorney identifies and resolves problems that arise in Baltimore tax fraud parallel proceedings. Your best step forward is contacting us for a confidential consultation now.