If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or Department of Justice (DOJ) charges you with tax evasion, you have the right to be defended by a skilled attorney, who will consider all evidence and weaknesses in the prosecutor’s case to get you the most favorable outcome. The prosecutor must prove the elements of tax evasion beyond a reasonable doubt, or the case will be dismissed.
Once our tax evasion attorney has a clear understanding of your case, we will consider several strategies, from negotiating a plea agreement to focusing on weak or erroneous evidence to proving you acted in good faith and never intended to withhold the taxes you owe. Our tax crime attorney is the only one practicing in the area, and the best one to help you with tax evasion defenses in Richmond.
While many tax fraud cases are civil matters with fines attached, tax evasion is prosecuted as a felony for willfully and intentionally failing to pay taxes, defrauding the government of what is owed.
Your attorney may be able to show you lacked the intent to evade paying taxes, or that you acted in good faith but seriously underpaid them. To show you lacked willful intent, your attorney could argue that you filed your own taxes but misinterpreted the notoriously intricate tax laws, you made genuine miscalculations, or you relied on a tax professional who is the real culprit. By providing your complete tax records to a tax professional and relying on their advice, your attorney could show you acted in good faith and never intended to evade paying what you owed. Any proof that you tried to correct entries you may have misunderstood could also be helpful to show you acted in good faith.
Your tax attorney can also present evidence that you have a history of complying with tax laws, or character witnesses could be introduced to testify about your honesty and propensity to act in good faith. This goes a long way to dispel the element of willful intention.
A skilled attorney will tailor your defense to the facts of your case and the tax evasion evidence gathered in Richmond.
Your defense attorney will thoroughly research and analyze relevant tax statutes and case precedents that could support the legality of your tax return. These could include safe harbor exemptions and, from previous case rulings, the ability to challenge the prosecutor’s interpretation of tax law.
In some cases, experts can be called to testify on your behalf. These include:
These experts offer a broader perspective and enhance your credibility with the jury. To discuss tax fraud or evasion defenses, schedule a consultation with our Richmond tax crime attorney now.
While a tax crime prosecutor must convince a jury that there is no other reasonable explanation and you willfully evaded paying taxes, our attorney looks for that reasonable explanation. It could be that you made an honest mistake, failed to interpret the tax code correctly, relied on an inexperienced tax preparer, or were in a hurry and negligent. Let us guide this stressful legal journey when you need tax evasion defenses in Richmond. Call now.