Slater v. Commissioner

1996 T.C. Memo. 366, 72 T.C.M. 341, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 381
CourtUnited States Tax Court
DecidedAugust 12, 1996
DocketDocket Nos. 16898-94, 16899-94.
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1996 T.C. Memo. 366 (Slater 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
Slater v. Commissioner, 1996 T.C. Memo. 366, 72 T.C.M. 341, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 381 (tax 1996).

Opinion

FREDERICK E. SLATER, Petitioner v. COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL REVENUE, Respondent
Slater v. Commissioner
Docket Nos. 16898-94, 16899-94.
United States Tax Court
T.C. Memo 1996-366; 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 381; 72 T.C.M. (CCH) 341; T.C.M. (RIA) 96366;
August 12, 1996, Filed

*381 An order will be issued granting respondent's motion for summary judgment and decisions will be entered under Rule 155.

Harry J. Kaplan, for petitioner.
William D. Reese, for respondent.
RAUM, Judge

RAUM

MEMORANDUM OPINION

RAUM, Judge: The Commissioner determined deficiencies in petitioner's Federal income taxes as follows:

Additions to Tax
YearDeficiencySec. 6653(b)(1) 1*382 Sec. 6661
1985$ 58,8992 $ 73,407$ 14,725
198682,6673 103,02920,667
1987104,1904 118,55425,848

This matter is before the Court on the respondent's Motion for Summary Judgment. Unless otherwise indicated, all section references are to the Internal Revenue Code in effect for the years in issue and all Rule references are to the Tax Court Rules of Practice and Procedure.

Petitioner, Frederick E. Slater, resided in Saratoga, California, at the time the petition in this case was filed. On February 18, 1992, the grand jury of Santa Clara County, California, indicted petitioner on three counts of violation of 26 U.S.C. section 7201 (1982) for each of the years 1985, 1986, and 1987. In each count, the grand jury charged petitioner with willfully attempting to evade income tax liability by underreporting the amount of taxes knowingly owed. On November 17, 1992, petitioner was found guilty on all three counts of the indictment. He was sentenced to 4 months' imprisonment and 2 years of supervised release, *383 including 4 months of electronic home detention, and fined $ 2,300 and "the cost of prosecution in this case", $ 2,231.

After termination of the criminal proceeding, the IRS attempted to conduct a civil audit of petitioner's income tax returns for the years 1985, 1986, and 1987. Petitioner, through his then-attorney, refused to provide books and records to the auditors and asked that the notice of deficiency be issued immediately. After the present Tax Court cases were docketed, petitioner supplied the books and records to the IRS Appeals Office.

The parties have stipulated that the deficiencies in income tax due from petitioner for 1985, 1986, and 1987 are $ 614, $ 3,781, and $ 10,224, respectively. The parties also agree that there are no additions to tax due from petitioner pursuant to section 6661 for 1985 and 1986.

1. Section 6653(b)

Section 6653(b) imposes additions to tax on taxpayers who fraudulently understate their income tax liability. 5 The Government has the burden of proving fraud by clear and convincing evidence. Rule 142(b). It has met that burden in this case with proof of Slater's convictions for tax evasion under section 72016 for each of the years *384 at issue. See Blohm v. Commissioner, 994 F.2d 1542, 1554 (11th Cir. 1993), affg. T.C. Memo. 1991-636.

The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution states "nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb." Petitioner contends that imposition of the fraud additions, when coupled with the prison time he has served and the fines he has paid, violates the double jeopardy provisions of the

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1996 T.C. Memo. 366, 72 T.C.M. 341, 1996 Tax Ct. Memo LEXIS 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/slater-v-commissioner-tax-1996.