Romer v. Commissioner

1996 T.C. Memo. 287, 71 T.C.M. 3202, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 301
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedJune 20, 1996
DocketDocket No. 4695-94
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1996 T.C. Memo. 287 (Romer 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
Romer v. Commissioner, 1996 T.C. Memo. 287, 71 T.C.M. 3202, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 301 (tax 1996).

Opinion

STEVEN J. ROMER, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Romer v. Commissioner
Docket No. 4695-94
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1996-287; 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 301; 71 T.C.M. (CCH) 3202;
June 20, 1996, Filed

*301 Decision will be entered under Rule 155.

Steven J. Romer, pro se.
Elizabeth P. Flores and Lyle B. Press, for respondent.
SWIFT

SWIFT

MEMORANDUM FINDINGS OF FACT AND OPINION

SWIFT, Judge: Respondent determined deficiencies in petitioner's Federal income taxes, additions to tax, and penalties as follows:

Additions to Tax and/or Penalties
Sec.Sec.Sec.Sec.
YearDeficiency6651(a)(1)6653(b)(1)66616663
1988$ 208,798--$ 156,599$ 52,200--
19891,418,713$ 354,678----$ 1,064,035
1990696,518------522,389

Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code, and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

The primary issues for decision are: (1) The collateral estoppel effect of petitioner's State court conviction for embezzlement; (2) the amount of income petitioner received by embezzling funds from his legal clients and the amount of income petitioner received from a check-kiting scheme; and (3) whether petitioner is liable for a fraud addition to tax for 1988 and fraud penalties for 1989 and 1990.

FINDINGS OF FACT

Many of the facts have been stipulated and are *302 so found. Petitioner resided in New York at the time of the filing of his petition.

During the years in issue, petitioner was a practicing attorney in New York State.

$ 741,065 Received From Gabrielle Votano

In 1988, petitioner established a trust on behalf of Gabrielle Votano (Votano) into the corpus of which was transferred $ 741,065 in life insurance proceeds that Votano inherited from her father. Petitioner was designated as trustee of this trust, and it was intended by Votano that petitioner use the $ 741,065 to purchase for the trust a suitable investment approved by Votano.

On November 9, 1988, petitioner transferred the $ 741,065 received from Votano into a "special" checking account in his name at Chemical Bank. The $ 741,065 was not transferred into one of petitioner's client escrow accounts.

On or about November 10, 1988, petitioner purchased with the $ 741,065 two certificates of deposit at Chemical Bank -- one in the amount of $ 341,065 and the other in the amount of $ 400,000. Although not completely clear from the record, it appears that these certificates of deposit were purchased in the name of petitioner, not in the name of the Votano trust.

On October 9, 1990, *303 Votano delivered a letter to petitioner in which she asked that her trust be terminated. Petitioner informed Votano that the two certificates of deposit that he had purchased with the $ 741,065 had just been renewed and therefore that the funds were not readily available.

On or about January 3, 1991, Votano received from petitioner a letter in which petitioner falsely claimed, among other things, that he had been diagnosed with an inoperable and incurable brain tumor and that he had only 2 months to live, and petitioner correctly acknowledged in the letter that Votano's $ 741,065 was no longer available. Petitioner's letter explains, in part, as follows:

To get right to the point, your money is no longer available, I'm sorry to say. I did, however, take out a very large life insurance policy, $ 23 million, just before my condition was diagnosed. If you make a fuss or contact the authorities, the insurance company will use it as an excuse to claim fraud and avoid paying the face of the policy. You will be paid in full in a very short time.

By a similar letter I have informed my wife of this obligation * * *. * * *

I used the money to feed some hungry and poverty-stricken people. *304 It didn't go into my home or family. In fact, my home is mortgaged for about twice of what it is worth. Your only method of being repaid is through the life insurance. I deeply regret the whole episode.

Please don't and ask your attorney to not contact Chemical Bank. It will do you no good, since there is no money there and the insurance company will use that as an excuse to not pay the policy.

Neither Votano nor the trust ever received back from petitioner any portion of the $ 741,065. As a result of the loss of the $ 741,065, Votano received $ 100,000 from the New York State Lawyers' Fund for Client Protection.

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Bluebook (online)
1996 T.C. Memo. 287, 71 T.C.M. 3202, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/romer-v-commissioner-tax-1996.