United States v. Hom Ming Dong

293 F. Supp. 1249, 23 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1031, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11805
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedDecember 6, 1968
DocketNo. C-17412
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 293 F. Supp. 1249 (United States v. Hom Ming Dong) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hom Ming Dong, 293 F. Supp. 1249, 23 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1031, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11805 (D. Ariz. 1968).

Opinion

OPINION

MUECKE, District Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE ACTION

On February 25, 1966, the defendant Horn Ming Dong was charged in a six-count indictment with attempted income tax evasion (26 U.S.C.A. § 7201) for the taxable years 1959 through 1964 inclusive. Horn Ming Dong entered a plea of not guilty to all counts. A jury trial was waived and the case was tried to the Court.

A request having been made that the Court enter findings of fact and conclusions of law, this opinion shall answer that request as allowed by Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 23(c).

[1250]*1250BACKGROUND AND FACTS

The defendant and his wife filed joint federal income tax returns in 1960 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, and 1965 in the District of Arizona for the taxable calendar years 1959 through 1964 inclusive. Exs. 3 through 8. The allegations of attempted tax evasion in the six counts of the indictment were founded upon the tax returns filed by Horn and his wife.

During the taxable years 1959 through 1964 inclusive, Horn Ming Dong owned and operated Tom’s Food Market located in a low-income area at 701 South 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. The market sold groceries of various kinds, meats, and alcoholic beverages. Mr. Horn and lis wife, Carol Shaw Dong, lived in the rear of the store building together with their five children. For the years indicated, the defendant reported the following adjusted gross income and listed the following tax liabilities on his returns :

TABLE I (Source: Exs. 3-8)

Adjusted Gross Tax

Years Income Reported Liability

1959 $5,357.13 $124.28

1960 4,901.29 47.00

1961 4,708.63 11.00

1962 4,685.00 2.00

1963 6,802.64 384.84

1964 7,648.32 420.95

The defendant paid the amount of the tax he reported as due in each of these years. Ex. 9.

Frank Edward Barndt, an Internal Revenue Agent assigned to audit Mr. Horn’s 1962 returns, first met the defendant at Tom’s Market on September 10, 1964, having telephoned the previous day to set up an appointment. Tr. p. 2. During the telephone conversation with Mr. Horn, Agent Barndt requested that the defendant make his records available, including his journals, check register, bank statements, and cancelled checks. Tr. p. 27. The only records made available was one small journal, which were not very detailed (Tr. p. 29), and some bank statements. The defendant also furnished copies of his. 1961 and 1963 tax returns. When asked to explain how he made entries and how he computed income using the journal, he replied that he “just kept track.” Tr. p. 30. At first, when asked for bank statements, Mr. Horn stated that he could not find them, but his accountant, Marvin E. Hamilton, who was present at the meeting, asked Mr. Horn whether he hadn’t found some of them. Mr. Horn stated that he had and produced six bank statements for the year 1962. Tr. p. 30.

The only record of transactions kept by Mr. Horn, other than the bank statements, was the small journal. Barndt’s preliminary audit showed that bank deposits exceeded the amount of income shown in the journal for the same period of time by approximately $30,000. Tr. p. 31. The income shown in the journal coincided with the amount shown on the 1962 tax return. Tr. p. 40.

The only record of daily transactions which Horn Ming Dong kept was the small journal referred to above. Ex. 66, pp. 4, 5. This journal was never entered into evidence nor marked for identification. The following description was given by Agent Brandt:

“It had an in column and an out column and as he explained it to me that the in showed the amount of cash that he had received during the day and that the out column was the amount of the number of expenses that he had made with a figure at the bottom showing his net profit or loss as the case may be for the day. The records, the book was not very detailed in that I could not verify a specific number. Let us say that there was an amount shown as an expense. I had no way of verifying what this expense was.”

The unsworn statement of Horn Ming Dong taken in the office of the Internal Revenue Service on December 8, 1964, with Mr. Horn’s attorney present and [1251]*1251placed in evidence as Government’s Exhibit 66, includes the following dialogue:

“47. Q. Concerning your sales at the store, do you ring them all ' up on the cash register?
A. Every penny.
48. Q. Do you have a tape on the cash register?
A. My cash register has no tape.
49. Q. How do you get the sales at end of the day? How do you determine your sales — do you read the cash register at the end of each day?
A. I put $30.00 in change, then I ring up all my sales. At night I take my $30.00 out; all the rest is sales for that day.
50. Q. What about purchases? Are most of your purchases by check — most of them?
A. No.
51. Q. You have a lot of currency purchases ?
A. It is rather hard to tell. Let’s say this way — you’re asking me how I pay those little bills and stuff now?
52. Q. Yes.
A. Some are paid by check; others paid by cash; and some of them are paid by check that I cash for the customers, so that’s three ways paying.
53. Q. Do you know about how much of your total purchases is paid by either cash or customers’ checks ?
A. I have no breakdown, Mr. Bigler.
(Mr. Hing) I think Hamilton made some kind of a breakdown on that.
54. Q. At the end of the day do you write your sales down somewhere ?
A. Yes.
55. Q. Where do you write it down ?
A. I write it in a book.” Ex. 66, pp. 4, 5.

In response to further questions regarding what books or records Mr. Horn had, he answered that there was very little space in his store and went on to say,

“I keep only limited records, and those I don’t think absolutely necessary — I have to make room for my things and I don’t keep those old records.” Ex. 66, p. 5, q. 62.

This answer was given in response to questions concerning records for 1959 and 1960. Mr. Horn went on to say that three years was all that he kept his records. Ex. 66, p. 5, q. 61.

On November 12, 1964, Special Agent Lester A. Bigler of the Internal Revenue Service’s Intelligence Division, contacted the defendant at Tom’s Market. Tr. p. 134. Agent Barndt accompanied Agent Bigler to the store where they had a conversation with Mr. Horn. The defendant stated that he was represented by counsel, Mr. Hing, and that he would cooperate to whatever extent he was advised by his attorney but that he didn’t care to answer any questions. Mr.

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Related

United States v. Hom Ming Dong
436 F.2d 1237 (Ninth Circuit, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
293 F. Supp. 1249, 23 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 1031, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hom-ming-dong-azd-1968.