Evans v. United States

672 F. Supp. 1118, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9905, 61 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 88
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Indiana
DecidedJuly 17, 1987
DocketNos. NA 87-122-C, NA 87-123-C
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 672 F. Supp. 1118 (Evans v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Evans v. United States, 672 F. Supp. 1118, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9905, 61 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 88 (S.D. Ind. 1987).

Opinion

ENTRY

BARKER, District Judge.

The plaintiffs Vickie S. Evans and James L. Evans filed complaints on June 5, 1987, seeking judicial review of the jeopardy tax assessments made on April 2, 1987, by the Internal Revenue Service against the plaintiffs pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 7429 (1982). This court held a hearing on the matter on July 2 and July 6, 1987, and following the hearing ordered the parties to submit proposed post-hearing findings of fact and conclusions of law within ten days. Because the purpose of section 7429 is to grant relief quickly in cases where the IRS has overstepped the bounds of reasonableness, the court expedited the hearing and its issuance of this entry. Detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law will be made and entered following the court’s receipt of the parties’ proposed findings and conclusions.

The court, having considered the evidence presented at the hearing and having reviewed the pleadings, briefs, and affidavits on file, now concludes that the jeopardy tax assessments were reasonable and that the amounts of the assessments were appropriate under the circumstances. Accordingly, the jeopardy tax assessments will not be abated, and judgment is entered in favor of the defendant United States of America.

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

These consolidated actions have been brought by the taxpayers, Vickie S. Evans and James L. Evans, seeking a judicial review under 26 U.S.C. § 7429 of the jeopardy tax assessments made against them on April 2, 1987. A hearing was held on these actions in Indianapolis on July 2 and 6, 1987.

The court entered its ruling sustaining the jeopardy tax assessments as reasonable and appropriate as to the amounts on July 17, 1987, with detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law to follow after proposed findings and conclusions were submitted by the parties. In accordance therewith, the court enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law.

1. The plaintiffs James L. Evans and Vickie S. Evans are husband and wife. During the tax years of 1980 through 1985, Mr. and Mrs. Evans were involved in several family businesses, Crackup Salvage & Sales, Inc. (selling airplane parts), Nite-Flight Co. (airplane banner advertising) and rental of commercial property in Louisville, Kentucky. They filed joint federal income tax returns for the year 1980 through 1985, reporting taxable income in the following amounts:

1980 $ 9,727.44
1981 21,496.98
[1120]*11201982 $34,443.07
1983 15,743.95
1984 21,000.50

2. On April 2, 1987, the IRS District Director for Louisville, Kentucky, made jeopardy deficiency assessments against James and Vickie Evans relative to alleged unreported income deriving from alleged drug trafficking profits during 1980 through 1985. These assessments for tax, interest, and penalty were in the following amounts:

1980 $ 171,179.58
1981 109,804.94
1982 1,303,797.62
1983 745,410.03
1984 398,543.00
1985 50,000.00

The assessment as to 1985 was made only against James L. Evans.

3. Upon making the jeopardy tax assessments, the IRS filed tax liens on the Evanses’ New Albany, Indiana, residence and adjacent lots, commercial buildings and some vacant lots in Louisville, Kentucky, and a lot on Rough River Lake in Kentucky. The IRS levied upon two aircraft used in the family businesses and approximately $7,000.00 from the Evanses’ bank accounts.

4. The amounts of the deficiencies, and the decision to make jeopardy assessments under 26 U.S.C. § 6861 were based upon the determination of the IRS special agent who conducted a criminal tax investigation of the Evanses.

5. In 1983 or 1984, James L. Evans became the target of Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigations relative to at least two Kentucky- and Indiana-based networks involved in the importation, transport, and distribution of marijuana and cocaine.

6. The foregoing investigations were conducted through the use of government informants, and through interviews with alleged participants in the foregoing drug trafficking networks.

7. The foregoing investigations resulted in four separate grand jury indictments of James L. Evans on drug trafficking-related charges filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky relative to activities conducted between 1981 and 1985: (1) on December 3, 1985, James L. Evans and one other person were indicted for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distribute in excess of 1,000 pounds of marijuana (hereinafter, referred to as “Indictment No. 1”); (2) on March 4, 1986, James L. Evans was named in three counts of a 38-count indictment naming 31 defendants (the three counts included two counts of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distribute marijuana and cocaine, and one count of conspiring to import marijuana into the United States) (hereinafter referred to as “Indictment No. 2”); (3) on August 4,1986, James L. Evans was named in all ten counts of an indictment charging Evans and 20 others with importing via Belize in excess of one ton of Columbian cocaine, and conspiring to possess and distribute such cocaine, together with importing and conspiring to possess and distribute over one ton of marijuana (hereinafter referred to as “Indictment No. 3”); (4) on March 3, 1987, James L. Evans was named in all seven counts of an indictment, count I of which charged him with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise by virtue of his role as the organizer, supervisor, and manager of an organization engaged in a continuing series of violations of statutes prohibiting the importation of and the conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and cocaine (hereinafter referred to as “Indictment No. 4”). The remaining six counts of Indictment No. 4 were for federal tax evasion.

8. In or around October, 1985, James L. Evans left the United States. While out of the United States, James Evans travelled on a forged passport and forged Florida driver’s license in the name of Vance Bo Owens. James L. Evans remained out of the country for at least nine months after the first criminal indictment was filed, and in communications to the DEA through his attorney, indicated that he intended to remain out of the country. Based upon the information obtained by DEA, it appears [1121]*1121that James Evans spent this period of time in Mexico and Costa Rica.

9. In 1985, at or shortly before the time James L. Evans left the country, he gave his wife Vickie Evans a power of attorney authorizing her to handle all his business affairs. Shortly after James Evans left the country, pursuant to this power of attorney, Vickie Evans divested James L. Evans of his interest in a Louisville, Kentucky, tavern known as The Brewery. She also sold several parcels of jointly-owned land adjoining their residence.

10. Prior to and after James L.

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Bluebook (online)
672 F. Supp. 1118, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9905, 61 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 88, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/evans-v-united-states-insd-1987.