ANNE ARUNDEL, CALVERT, CHARLES, ST. MARY’S & PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTIES.
Tax Crimes Defense | Haskell & Dyer
A Tax Crime Requires That You Knew the Law and Chose to Break It. An Honest Mistake Is Not a Crime.
Tax evasion and fraud cases hinge on willfulness, meaning you knew the law and chose to break it. An honest mistake is a defense. We build the case that the conduct was not willful.
If the IRS Is Investigating
Stop talking to revenue agents and call a lawyer.
A civil audit can quietly become a criminal investigation, and a visit from IRS Criminal Investigation is a serious sign. What you say to explain things can become the proof of willfulness the government needs. Do not meet with agents or your accountant about it alone. Ask for a lawyer and call before you respond.
The Word the Whole Case Turns On
Willfulness Means a Voluntary, Intentional Violation
Tax crimes require willfulness: a voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty. Negligence, confusion, bad advice, or an honest misunderstanding of a genuinely complicated law is not willful, and that is the heart of the defense.
What They Must Prove
You Knew and Chose to Break It
The government has to prove you knew your legal duty and intentionally violated it. That is a high bar. The complexity of the tax code itself often makes willfulness genuinely hard to establish beyond a reasonable doubt.
Where It Often Breaks
A Good-Faith Mistake Is a Defense
A good-faith misunderstanding of the law, even an unreasonable one, can negate willfulness. Reliance on an accountant, confusing rules, or an honest error is the kind of defense that defeats the intent the charge requires.
What We Handle
Common Tax Charges
Federal and state tax matters that have turned, or could turn, criminal. We handle the full range.
Tax evasion
Filing a false return
Failure to file
Failure to pay
Employment tax violations
Unreported income
Aiding a false return
State tax fraud
What's at Stake
Criminal Exposure on Top of the Tax Bill
A criminal tax case carries far more than back taxes. The penalties and the record reach much further.
Federal
Often a federal felony prosecution
Prison
Incarceration on a conviction
Penalties
Fines, back taxes, interest, and penalties
Career
Damage to licenses and livelihood
How We Defend a Tax Crime
Willfulness is the soft spot. We attack it, the numbers, and the leap from a civil dispute to a criminal charge.
We Attack Willfulness
Good faith, reliance on professionals, and honest confusion negate the intent these charges require. We build that record.
We Dispute the Numbers
The government's loss figure is often inflated or wrong. We challenge how the tax owed and the alleged shortfall were calculated.
We Keep It Civil
Many tax problems belong in civil resolution, not criminal court. We work to keep a dispute from becoming a prosecution.
We Engage Early
The point where an audit turns criminal is critical. Getting counsel in early can change the entire trajectory of the case.
Common Questions
Tax Crimes, Answered
I just made a mistake on my taxes. Can that really be a crime?
A genuine mistake is not a tax crime. These charges require willfulness, a voluntary, intentional violation of a known legal duty. Negligence, confusion, or an honest error does not meet that standard. The tax code is complicated enough that good-faith mistakes are common, and that is exactly the kind of defense we build.
My accountant prepared the return. Am I still on the hook?
Reliance on a professional can be a strong defense, because it cuts against the idea that you willfully and knowingly broke the law. If you gave your preparer accurate information and relied on their advice in good faith, that undermines willfulness. What you told them and what you understood are central to the case.
What's the difference between an audit and a criminal tax case?
An audit is a civil review of what you owe. A criminal case is about willful wrongdoing and can mean prison. The danger is that a civil audit can turn criminal, sometimes without an obvious warning. If you sense that shift, or IRS Criminal Investigation gets involved, it is time for a lawyer immediately.
IRS agents want to ask me some questions. Should I cooperate?
Not without a lawyer. A friendly request for an interview can be part of building a criminal case, and your explanations can become evidence of willfulness. You can be polite while declining to answer questions on your own. Ask for a lawyer and call before you sit down with any agent or hand over documents.
Can a criminal tax case be resolved without a conviction?
Often there are paths. Many tax problems can be steered toward civil resolution, payment arrangements, or outcomes that avoid a criminal conviction, especially when willfulness is weak or the numbers are disputed. The earlier we get involved, the more room there usually is to keep a dispute out of criminal court.
Facing a Tax Investigation? Willfulness Is the Whole Fight.
An honest mistake is not a crime, and the government has to prove you knew the law and chose to break it. Tell us what's happening and get an honest read on your defense. The first conversation is free and confidential.
Contacted by agents after hours? Call our 24/7 line: 240-687-0179
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC Practicing Law in Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s, and Prince George’s Counties.
The Law Offices of Haskell & Dyer, LLC
Fax: 301-627-5848
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