United States v. Austin

209 F. Supp. 101, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6106, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. North Carolina
DecidedSeptember 28, 1962
DocketNo. Cr-122-G-62
StatusPublished

This text of 209 F. Supp. 101 (United States v. Austin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Austin, 209 F. Supp. 101, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6106, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226 (M.D.N.C. 1962).

Opinion

STANLEY, Chief Judge.

On April 12, 1962, defendant was charged in a 30-eount indictment with wilfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent income tax returns for others during the calendar years 1957 and 1958, in violation of Section 7206(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, 26 U.S.C. § 7206(2). On June 4, 1962, the defendant moved for an order suppressing as evidence all information obtained from her, and from all other sources by the use of information so obtained, by agents of the Internal Revenue Service.

The motion was heard on July 19, 1962, at which time both parties offered [102]*102oral testimony and introduced into evidence certain exhibits. The parties have also filed briefs in support,of their contentions.

FACTS

There is some conflict in the testimony as to what took place between the Government agents and the defendant, but from all the evidence presented, including the exhibits, and the briefs and oral arguments of the parties, the following facts are found:

1. For about 20 years the defendant has engaged in the practice of preparing income tax returns for others. She never signed the returns or otherwise indicated they were prepared by her. During the years in question, the defendant had approximately one thousand customers for whom she prepared state and Federal income tax returns. She was also a partner with her husband in a general insurance agency business.

2. On the morning of June 5, 1958, Internal Revenue Agents James C. Watts and Harold J. Huey went to the office of Austin’s Insurance Agency, at Kannapolis, North Carolina, a business operated by the defendant and her husband as partners, for the purpose of obtaining records relating to the work of the defendant in preparing income tax returns for others. The defendant was not in the office. After identifying themselves, the agents advised defendant’s husband that their visit was in connection with Federal income tax matters. Defendant’s husband advised the agents that all tax returns were prepared by the defendant, and that their business should properly be discussed with her. Defendant’s husband then called defendant by telephone and advised of the presence of the agents, and the nature of their business. The defendant arrived at the office of the insurance agency a short time later, and was again told by the agents that they were there to investigate her Federal income tax matters.

3. The defendant invited the agents into a small office in the rear of the building where she presented them with certain partnership records, and copies of personal tax returns she had prepared on behalf of herself and husband. The agents then made inquiry concerning work papers in connection with tax returns prepared for the public. When she produced only a slip of paper from her billfold upon which was written “4,132.00 - tax receipts 1958,” the defendant was asked if she did not have other records or work papers concerning tax returns she had prepared for others. She then took the agents to a file containing some seventy-five envelopes, and upon further inquiry, stated she had additional records at her home. After defendant offered to go to her home for these records, she readily agreed that Agent Watts might accompany her. Some sixteen boxes of work papers were brought by Agent Watts from the defendant's home to the office of the insurance agency. The agents spent the balance of June 5 and most of June 6, in a room made available by the defendant, examining the work papers pertaining to tax returns which the defendant had prepared for others. The defendant was present on several occasions during this two-day period and observed the type of work the agents were doing. Names and addresses of many customers of the defendant were recorded on a selected basis.

4. On the afternoon of June 5, 1958, before leaving the premises of the insurance agency, the agents gave the defendant the following written memorandum:

“In connection with the examination of your Federal income tax matters, it will be appreciated if you will furnish the following information:
“1. Since your only record covering income from your work in preparing Federal and State tax returns is a 2-inch by 3-inch slip of paper, delivered to us from your billfold, and marked:
“ ‘$4,132.00 - Tax receipts, 1958’ it is requested that you furnish a list of your 1956 and 1957 clients by [103]*103name and address, together with the amount each paid you for tax work (State and Federal) of any nature.
“2. The manner in which you use your clients prior years working papers (your specially printed forms) in preparing current years returns.
“3. It is noted that in many of your clients working papers you have notations similar to the following :
“ ‘Short $334.00’, or
“ ‘Short 111.00.’
“These two notations appear on the working papers of James Reese, and Ray Ketner Fink. Please explain.
“4. It is noted that you do not indicate on the returns of your clients that such returns were prepared by your office. Please explain.
“Please furnish these explanations in your memorandum covering your client lists.”

5. On June 19, 1958, thirteen days after being presented with the memorandum on June 6, 1958, the defendant mailed the agents a list of the names and addresses of her tax clients for the years 1956 and 1957, as they had requested. This was the last contact the agents had with the defendant concerning her records.

6. Other Internal Revenue agents later investigated the personal income tax returns of the defendant and her-husband for the years 1955 through 1958, after which deficiencies were assessed. The deficiencies were subsequently compromised by the payment of additional tax for each of the four years, but no fraud penalty, either civil or criminal, was asserted.

7. At no time during the visits of the agents in the office of the insurance agency on June 5 and 6, 1958, nor during the visit of Agent Watts to the home of the defendant on June 5, 1958, did either of the agents speak in a threatening tone to the defendant or her husband, or in any way threaten or intimidate them. The agents never told the defendant or her husband that they were investigating their personal income tax returns, but, as earlier stated, advised that their visit was in connection with Federal income tax matters.

8. All the information and records obtained by the agents from the defendant on June 5 and 6, 1958, were freely and voluntarily supplied by the defendant, and the agents did not practice any fraud or deceit in obtaining such information and records.

9. After interviewing some of the taxpayers for whom the defendant had prepared income tax returns, Agents Watts and Huey, on June 24, 1958, recommended that the entire investigation be referred to the Intelligence Division of the Internal Revenue Service for further handling.

DISCUSSION

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Bluebook (online)
209 F. Supp. 101, 10 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 6106, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5226, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-austin-ncmd-1962.