Sunday, June 20, 2004

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal district court in Las Vegas has ruled in a civil tax case that Irwin A. Schiff, a well-known promoter of frivolous tax evasion excuses, is liable for over $2 million in individual income tax liabilities and related interest and penalties for 1979-1985. According to the DOJ:

Schiff maintained that he should be excused from the imposition of civil fraud penalties because he allegedly has recently been diagnosed as suffering from a “chronic and severe delusional disorder” that resulted in his irrational and incorrect beliefs pertaining to the federal income tax system. The court declined to accept Schiff’s diminished-capacity defense.