Sala v. United States

251 F.R.D. 614, 102 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5292, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63993, 2008 WL 2799715
District Court, D. Colorado·Decided July 18, 2008·No. Civil No. 05-cv-00636-LTB·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

ORDER

LEWIS T. BABCOCK, District Judge.

This action concerns a claim by Plaintiffs Carlos E. Sala and Tina Zanolini-Sala (referred to herein as “Sala,” since Tina Zanolini-Sala is a named plaintiff only because the Salas filed a joint tax return) for a refund on Sala’s 2000 federal taxes. An eight-day trial to the Court was held commencing March 10, 2008, and concluding March 19, 2008. The two claims at issue were Sala’s entitlement to a refund of the taxes, penalties, and interest he paid on his 2000 income and — to the extent any refund was due Sala on putatively “excess” interest — the Government’s entitlement to an accuracy-related penalty owed, but not assessed. After a review of all the evidence presented both at trial and by deposition, I found in favor of Sala and against the Government on all claims and counterclaims on April 22, 2008 [Docket # 246]. The Government now moves for a new trial [Docket ## 258, 259]. Oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this motion. After consideration of the motion, the papers, and the ease file, and for the reasons stated below, I DENY the Government’s Motion for a New Trial [Docket # 258],

[616]*616I. BACKGROUND

The facts of this case are well-summarized in my April 22, 2008, Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order [Docket # 246] and I need not repeat them here. Relevant to this motion is the videotaped deposition testimony of Andrew Krieger — the principal owner and manager of the Deerhurst foreign currency investment program (“Deerhurst Program”) at issue in this ease — played over three days beginning March 11, 2008, and concluding March 13, 2008.

Before Krieger’s deposition was played, I heard argument from the Government objecting to the use of Krieger’s video deposition — which was taken on October 26 and 27, 2006, and April 17, 2007 — on the basis of a February 27, 2008, letter from Krieger’s counsel, Jay Fischer (“Fischer letter”) [Docket # 229 p. 9]. The Fischer letter stated Krieger — subsequent to the taping of his deposition — was questioned extensively by the Government in regards to a criminal investigation in another matter. The Fischer letter stated:

Having had some time to consider questions raised in the Sala deposition, it appears Mr. Krieger provided information to the United States government that may be inconsistent with information provided in the depositions. For example, it is now Mr. Krieger’s view, based upon his review and reevaluation of the circumstances, that the programs in which Mr. Sala was involved were essentially tax driven, as opposed to profit driven. This, of course, does not change any of Mr. Krieger’s testimony as to what Mr. Sala told Mr. Krieger regarding his (Sala’s) motivation nor does it affect any testimony provided in the deposition as to the lack of any knowledge on Mr. Krieger’s part as to the ultimate utilization by Sala of any gains and/or losses in the preparation of any tax returns.

After reviewing the Fischer letter and considering the arguments made by counsel for both parties, I concluded the Fischer letter— which clearly was hearsay at any rate— amounted to no more than speculation and was ambiguous as to which portions of Krieger’s deposition, if any, were “inconsistent.” I also noted that the circumstances leading to the letter were troubling, both because the letter was procured as the result of a criminal investigation unrelated to this ease and because the eve-of-trial timing of the letter was suspect in light of the Government’s repeated efforts to delay, postpone, stay, and otherwise put off the trial of this case. Accordingly, I overruled the Government’s objection and proceeded with the video.

The Government now provides a sworn statement from Krieger dated May 22, 2008, recasting portions of his videotaped deposition testimony as “false, misleading and incomplete.” [Docket # 260-4]. Krieger states he knew his deposition to be “false, misleading and incomplete” before the Fischer letter was sent, but he “was not willing to be re-interviewed by the parties or provide sworn testimony in this case at that time because [his] truthful statements would have incriminated [him].” Krieger states he informed Fischer of both specific and possible inconsistencies and these inconsistencies were noted in a letter — undisclosed to the Court until now — sent to Sala and the Government on March 12, 2008. At that time, however, Krieger was still unwilling to be re-interviewed or provide sworn testimony.

On May 21, 2008 — after entry of my Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order in this case, but before the May 27, 2008, entry of Judgment — Krieger executed a non-prosecution agreement with various Government offices — including the United States Attorney’s Office (“USAO”), the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice, and the Internal Revenue Service — that required him “to provide truthful information and testimony about [his] activities involving tax shelters, and ... provides that if [he] do[es] so, [he] will not be prosecuted for those activities or for the false testimony [he] gave in this matter.” Krieger stated he was advised not to provide any sworn testimony until the non-prosecution agreement was signed, and, in any event, he was living in Dubai at least from August 2007 through the date of the trial.

Addressing the “false, misleading and incomplete” portions of his deposition, Krieger now asserts the following is the actual “truthful information” regarding the Deerhurst [617]*617Program — referring to the basis-generating trades as the “tax trades”:

a. The primary purpose of the tax trades was to generate tax losses, not positive economic returns. The tax benefits were not “incidental.” But for the need to generate tax losses, Krieger would not have made the tax trades. Krieger also had predetermined to sell the tax trade positions by year end regardless of market conditions;

b. Krieger was told by Michael Schwartz— a promoter of the Deerhurst Program— that he was to purchase roughly equal amounts of long and short options with premiums approximately equal to the tax losses sought in order to effectuate the tax losses. Krieger would not have entered into trades with the face amounts of the tax trades but for the need to purchase trades with premiums equal to the tax losses sought;

c. If Krieger had charged Sala the transaction costs normally charged by Refco, the trades would have been cost prohibitive. Krieger utilized his Beckenham Trading Company to assume the risk of the trades in order to decrease the cost to the investors and to help ensure profitability by year’s end;

d. Krieger could not have separated the long and short options due to the size of the premiums relative to the amount of capital in the account;

e. The test period in 2000 was not a realistic test of Krieger’s trading program and was not intended to acclimate investors to foreign exchange trading, but was intended only for disguising the tax benefits;

f. The structure of the Deerhurst Program — including the use of an S corporation and a general partnership — was not designed for any purpose other than the creation of tax losses. The Deerhurst Program was executed in a series of predetermined series of steps orchestrated by Mr. Schwartz for the purpose of creating a tax loss;

g. There was no business purpose for liquidating the test accounts at the close of 2000 other than the generation of tax losses.

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Sala v. United States, 251 F.R.D. 614, 102 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 5292, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63993, 2008 WL 2799715 (D. Colo. 2008).

251 F.R.D. 614 (Sala v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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