United States v. Mahendra K. Tandon

111 F.3d 482, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2292, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7645, 1997 WL 186102
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedApril 18, 1997
Docket95-3148
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 111 F.3d 482 (United States v. Mahendra K. Tandon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Mahendra K. Tandon, 111 F.3d 482, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2292, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7645, 1997 WL 186102 (6th Cir. 1997).

Opinions

BOGGS, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which SILER, J., joined. MeCALLA, D.J. (pp. 492-94) delivered a separate opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part.

BOGGS, Circuit Judge.

Mahendra Tandon, a physician in Cleveland, Ohio appeals from his jury conviction and sentence on three counts of willfully filing false personal income tax returns for the years 1986,1987, and 1988, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(1), and one count of willfully aiding and assisting in the filing of a false corporate return for the year 1988, in violation of 26 U.S.C. § 7206(2). The district court sentenced Tandon to 18 months in prison and one year of supervised release and fined him $10,000. On appeal, Tandon argues that the district court erred in (1) allowing evidence of the depreciation of a Rolls-Royce on his tax returns because it constituted a constructive amendment or variance to the indictment; (2) instructing the jury that [485]*485the issue of materiality was a question of law to be decided by the district court; (3) refusing to provide an “advice of counsel” instruction; and (4) determining his sentence. We affirm.

I

Tandon ran the Saint Clair Industrial Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio during the relevant years 1986 though 1988. In 1988, the clinic was incorporated as Superior Medical Industrial Center, Inc. (“Superior Medical”). In April 1985, Tandon had purchased the property where his medical practice was located, but in October of that year, had deeded the property to his father. The deed was promptly recorded. In November of that same year, however, the property was deeded back to Tandon but the deed this time was not recorded until May 1988, when the property was deeded to Tandoris son.

Tandon paid the mortgage on the property and also depreciated it on his 1986 and 1987 income tax returns. He also received the rental money generated by apartments and a garage located on the property.

Tandoris personal income tax return for 1986 misstated total income received from his medical practice. He reported $151,375.44 in income from his medical practice when in fact he received over $185,000 in income. His 1987 personal income tax return also misstated income from his medical practice, reporting $157,126.69 in income when in fact he received over $196,000 in income. Additionally, Superior Medical’s corporate return for 1988 failed to report tens of thousands of dollars in medical income and Tandoris personal income tax return for 1988 failed to report the income omitted from the corporate return.

Tandon was directly involved in preparing his personal tax returns for 1986, 1987, and 1988, as well as in preparing Superior Medical’s corporate return for 1988. He told his secretary, Angela Alshabani, to type his personal returns for 1986 and 1987 and to type Superior Medical’s corporate return for 1988, providing her with all the necessary figures. Additionally, Tandoris 1988 personal tax return appeared to have been handwritten by Tandon. He also signed his personal returns for all three years, declaring under, penalty of perjury that to the best of his knowledge the returns were true, correct, and complete. Superior Medical’s corporate return, however, was signed by Tandoris sister, Indira Khanna, even though Tandon prepared the return. Indira Khanna signed it because she was named as corporate president on the incorporation documents. However, she had her own medical practice in Pennsylvania, did not see patients at the clinic, and did not exercise any control over the clinic’s personnel or operations.1

Tandoris tax returns were problematic in other respects as well. For one, Tandon depreciated a Rolls-Royce he had leased at the end of 1986 on his 1986 and 1987 returns, and Superior Medical depreciated the vehicle on its 1988 corporate return, even though this could not be done under the tax code because neither Tandon nor Superior Medical owned the Rolls. In addition, he deducted the lease payments. Moreover, while the maximum allowable deduction for automobiles was $4,800 a year, Tandon actually depreciated $22,880 on his 1987 return, and Superior Medical depreciated the same amount on its 1988 return. Furthermore, he depreciated the vehicle so that the IRS had no way of knowing that it was a car that was being depreciated. Nowhere on any of the returns was the ear described or identified and it was depreciated in a section of the returns that specifically stated, “Do not use this part for automobiles.” In addition, he depreciated the Rolls on his 1986 tax return as if it had been placed in service during the 1986 tax year and then depreciated the Rolls on his 1987 tax return as if it had been [486]*486placed in service during that year. Superior Medical’s corporate return for 1988 also depreciated the Rolls as if it had been placed in service beginning in 1988.

Tandon testified that he had depreciated the Rolls-Royce on the advice of people at Crestmont Cadillac and on the advice of an accountant. Other evidence, however, indicated that Tandon had requested that Crest-mont Cadillac not depreciate the car so that Tandon himself might do so.

Tandon also funneled money from his medical practice into several different accounts. The receipts from Superior Medical were deposited into various accounts to which Tan-don had access, although his name did not appear on all of the accounts. For example, in 1986 Tandon had Alshabani sign a signature card for a bank account that was a depository for some of the income from Tan-don’s medical practice. Alshabani testified that Tandon had told her that the account had been established to help her pay tuition while she was attending college but that she had received less than $500 in tuition reimbursement. Another account was listed in his son’s name.

In 1989, Tandon was notified that he would be audited for 1987.2 After the notification, Tandon filed an amended tax return for 1987, reporting an additional $56,000 in income. The amended return indicated that $18,000 was for rental income and $38,000 was a loan repayment. On December 4, 1989, Superior Medical also filed an amended tax return, reporting an additional $37,459 in income. The reported basis for this change was that the “corporation elects to pay tax on retained earnings.” At trial, Tandon claimed that the understatement of income was simply a mathematical error. He also indicated that he did not know why the corporation had filed an amended return. According to Tan-don, his sister had asked someone to check the books and that this person had advised them that they needed to report the additional income.

In October 1989, Tandon’s case was referred to the criminal division. After being notified of this, Tandon tried to stall the investigation. For example, in June 1990, when investigator Dever, who was assigned to the criminal investigation, went to issue Tandon a summons for Superior Medical’s records, Tandon told Dever to contact Indira Khanna because she was the president of Superior Medical. Tandon also told Dever that he should direct all his questions to her because he had nothing to do with Superior Medical. When Dever did contact Indira Khanna, she refused to answer any questions. At trial, however, Tandon testified that he was the vice president of Superior Medical and was the custodian of its records.

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Bluebook (online)
111 F.3d 482, 79 A.F.T.R.2d (RIA) 2292, 1997 U.S. App. LEXIS 7645, 1997 WL 186102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-mahendra-k-tandon-ca6-1997.