Dixon v. Commissioner

90 T.C. No. 17, 90 T.C. 237, 1988 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedFebruary 11, 1988
DocketDocket Nos. 9382-83, 17640-83, 4201-84, 15907-84, 40159-84, 22783-85, 30010-85, 30979-85, 29643-86
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 90 T.C. No. 17 (Dixon v. Commissioner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dixon v. Commissioner, 90 T.C. No. 17, 90 T.C. 237, 1988 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15 (tax 1988).

Opinion

GOFFE, Judge:

The Commissioner determined the following deficiencies in petitioners’ Federal income taxes:

_Additions to tax_
Taxable Sec. Sec. Sec.
year Deficiency 6653(a)(1)3 6653(a)(2) 6661(a) Petitioners
1977 $9,885.00 $494.00 Jerry R. and
1978 17,375.00 868.75 Patricia A. Dixon
1979 18,087.00 904.35
1980 29,448.00 1,649.70
1981 28,061.00 1,759.90
16,236.38 811.81 Ralph J. Rina o> !> <y>
39,015.00 1,950.75 o 00 os
Robert L. and 1980 25,877.00 1,293.85
Carolyn S. DuFresne 1981 21,790.00 1,089.50 O
1982 16,684.70 834.24 (b $1,668.47
1983 15,851.64 729.58 <b 1,585.16
Terry D. and 1975 4,341.00 217.00
Carolyn K. Owens 1976 2,786.00 139.00
1977 1,195.00 60.00
1978 1,069.00 53.00
Hoyt W. and 1979 15,658.00 783.00
Barbara D. Young 1980 23,582.00 1,179.00
1981 23,819.00 1,191.00 <b
1982 13,773.59 688.68 <b 1,377.36
1983 2,163.42 108.17 <b
_Additions to tax_
Taxable Sec. Sec. Sec.
Petitioners year Deficiency 6653(a)(1)3 6653(a)(2) 6661(a)
Richard and 1978 $9,303.00 $465.00
Fidelia Hongsermeier 1979 11,866.00 593.00
1980 18,717.00 936.00
1 50 percent of the interest due on the deficiency.

The issues for our decision are: (1) Whether petitioners can challenge the search and seizure of a third party not before the Court; (2) if petitioners can challenge the search and seizure, whether the Internal Revenue Service utilized a search warrant to compel the production of information which was to be used primarily for civil purposes; (3) if the IRS did utilize the search warrant for such purpose, whether it has such authority; and (4) if the IRS does not have such authority, whether the exclusionary rule should be applied.4

FINDINGS OF FACT

Some of the facts have been stipulated and are so found. The stipulation of facts and the accompanying exhibits are incorporated by this reference.

Petitioners Jerry R. and Patricia A. Dixon, husband and wife, resided in El Paso, Texas, at the time they filed their petition. Petitioner Ralph J. Rina resided in Sunset Beach, California, at the time he filed his petition. Petitioners Robert L. and Carolyn S. DuFresne, husband and wife, resided in Memphis,' Tennessee, at the time they filed their petitions. Petitioners Terry D. and Carolyn K. Owens, husband and wife, resided in Kailau, Hawaii, at the time they filed their petition. Petitioners Hoyt W. and Barbara D. Young resided in Cordova, Tennessee, at the time they filed their petitions. Petitioners Richard and Fidelia Hongsermeier resided in Spring, Texas, at the time they filed their petition. With the exception of petitioner Ralph J. Rina who filed an individual Federal income tax return, all of the petitioners filed joint Federal income tax returns with their respective spouses for the taxable years in issue.

In April 1980, Special Agent James Duncan of the IRS was in charge of the investigation of alleged violations of the criminal tax laws by Henry Kersting. In March and April 1980, Special Agent Duncan obtained information and documents from two confidential sources indicating that Kersting was using sham corporations and sham loan transactions to generate fictitious interest deductions. On January 9, 10, and 12, 1981, an undercover special agent of the IRS posed as an airline pilot and businessman and met with Kersting for the purpose of gathering information concerning transactions arranged by Kersting for clients. During the course of these meetings, the undercover agent indicated to Kersting that he had some income tax liability for 1980. Kersting explained that he had devised a plan, which he had used for approximately 2,500 pilots, to generate fictitious interest deductions of approximately 12 times the cash outlay. Kersting explained that the plan involved the creation of debt and the creation of loans to pay interest on the debt. Kersting stated that, under one variation of the plan, he would arrange for a loan to be made to the undercover agent at an annual rate of 18 percent. The purported loan would be used to purchase stock in various corporations controlled by Kersting. Kerst-ing then stated that he would arrange for a second loan to be made to the undercover agent which would be for the stated purpose of paying the interest on the first loan. The second loan would have an annual interest rate of 9 percent. The interest on the second loan would be paid to Kersting as a fee for his services. Kersting further explained that the promissory notes were nonnegotiable and nonassignable and that there was absolutely no cash outlay required other than the payment of his fee. Kersting stated that the loans were not expected to be repaid except by rederftption of the stock certificates.

Kersting stated that all documents used in the program were prepared in his office and that copies were retained there. On January 12, 1981, Kersting provided the undercover agent with the necessary documentation bearing dates in 1980.

During one of the meetings, Kersting received a telephone call and during the conversation referred to a list of names and telephone numbers. The undercover agent concluded that this was Kersting’s client list.

On January 21, 1981, based upon affidavits submitted by Special Agent Duncan, a search warrant was issued to the IRS by the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii to search the office of Kersting and seize the following:

promissory notes; note and security agreements; copies of stock certificates; cancelled checks and deposit slips relating to bank accounts maintained at the Liberty Bank, Kahala Mall, Hawaii; a computer listing of names and telephone numbers; copies of completed pre-numbered receipts; all of the above relating to loan transactions and interest deductions prepared by or for Mr. Henry Kersting’s clients, together with any other evidence and/or instrumentalities of violations of 26 U.S.C. Sections 7201 and 7206(2), and 18 U.S.C. Section 371 for the years 1976 up to and including the present.

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Related

Jerry and Patricia A. Dixon v. Commissioner
132 T.C. No. 5 (U.S. Tax Court, 2009)
Dixon v. Comm'r
132 T.C. No. 5 (U.S. Tax Court, 2009)
Hartman v. Comm'r
2008 T.C. Memo. 124 (U.S. Tax Court, 2008)
Young v. Comm'r
2006 T.C. Memo. 189 (U.S. Tax Court, 2006)
Lewis v. Comm'r
2005 T.C. Memo. 205 (U.S. Tax Court, 2005)
Richards v. Commissioner
1997 T.C. Memo. 299 (U.S. Tax Court, 1997)
Dixon v. Commissioner
1991 T.C. Memo. 614 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Ash v. Commissioner
96 T.C. No. 16 (U.S. Tax Court, 1991)
Director v. Commissioner
1988 T.C. Memo. 256 (U.S. Tax Court, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
90 T.C. No. 17, 90 T.C. 237, 1988 U.S. Tax Ct. LEXIS 15, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dixon-v-commissioner-tax-1988.