Brown v. Commissioner

1981 T.C. Memo. 406, 42 T.C.M. 579, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 335
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Brown v. Commissioner. Read the opinion of the Court — 78 T.C. 215
United States Tax Court·Decided August 6, 1981·No. Docket No. 2509-79.·Unpublished

Opinion

GEORGE F. BROWN, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Brown v. Commissioner
Docket No. 2509-79.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1981-406; 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 335; 42 T.C.M. (CCH) 579; T.C.M. (RIA) 81406;
August 6, 1981.
*335

Held: Petitioner's conviction under section 7206(1) estops him from denying in a subsequent proceeding involving the section 6653(b) civil fraud penalty (1) that his returns for the years of his conviction were false and fraudulent and (2) that he omitted substantial amounts of income from his returns for those years. Respondent's motion for partial summary judgment pursuant to Rule 121 is granted.

Charles B. Sklar, for the petitioner.
Dennis M. Kelly, for the respondent.

IRWIN

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

IRWIN, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies of $ 6,654.52 and $ 6,630.00 in petitioner's Federal income tax for 1974 and 1975, respectively, and corresponding additions to tax for fraud under section 6653(b)1 of $ 3,327.26 and $ 3,315.00. This case is before us on respondent's motion for partial summary judgment pursuant to Rule 121, Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.2

BACKGROUND

Respondent issued the *336 notice of deficiency in this case on November 28, 1978, and petitioner timely filed a petition for redetermination with this Court. Mr. Brown was a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at the time he filed his petition.

On April 30, 1979, respondent filed an answer wherein, inter alia, he argued that the doctrine of collateral estoppel was applicable in the instant action because of petitioner's criminal conviction under section 7206(1) in United States v. George F. Brown, an unreported case (M.D. La. 1977), 574 F.2d 1274 (5th Cir. 1978), rehearing denied 578 F.2d 871 (5th Cir. 1978), cert. denied 439 U.S. 1046 (1978), rehearing denied 628 F.2d 471 (5th Cir. 1980). On August 23, 1979, petitioner filed a reply denying the applicability of collateral estoppel on the bases that (1) the judgment of the United States District Court was not final; and (2) even if final, a conviction under section 7206(1) does not collaterally estop the defendant in the criminal case from contesting the assertion of a civil fraud penalty under section 6653(b).

On February 20, 1980, this Court granted petitioner's unopposed motion for continuance. The basis for petitioner's motion was that because an appeal *337 in the criminal case was pending before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a postponement of the civil tax suit might dispose of the collateral estoppel issue and possibly result in settlement. 3

On January 14, 1981, respondent filed with this Court a "Motion for Partial Summary Judgment" pursuant to Rule 121 and a memorandum of points and authorities in support thereof. Respondent's motion requests us to determine:

(1) That petitioner is estopped under the doctrine of collateral estoppel (estoppel by judgment) from denying that he filed false and fraudulent individual income tax returns for the taxable years 1974 and 1975 and from denying that he received substantial additional income during 1974 and 1975 from Dixie Brewing Company and Falstaff Brewing Corporation which was omitted from petitioner's returns in each of these years; and

(2) That by reason of the above petitioner is liable for the addition to tax under I.R.C. § 6653(b) for any underpayment of tax to be later determined by this Court for the taxable years 1974 and 1975.

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Brown v. Commissioner, 1981 T.C. Memo. 406, 42 T.C.M. 579, 1981 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 335 (tax 1981).

1981 T.C. Memo. 406 (Brown v. Commissioner) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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