United States v. Taylor

District Court, D. Arizona·Decided November 20, 2024·No. 2:23-cv-00506·Unknown

Opinion

WO

United States of America, No. CV-23-00506-PHX-SMB

Plaintiff, ORDER

v.

Janice Sue Taylor, et al.,

Defendants. Pending before the Court is Plaintiff’s Motion for Default Judgement (Doc. 55), Defendant 11 Mile Corner Land Trust’s Motion for Discovery (Doc. 60), Defendant Desiree E. Saunders’ Motion to Deny Claim of Federal Jurisdiction (Doc. 63), Motion to Vacate in Favor of Trustee, Motion to Set aside Entry of any Default Motion, and Motion to Dismiss with Prejudice (Doc. 66). After reviewing the briefing and relevant case law, the Court will grant Plaintiff’s Motion for Default Judgment (Doc. 55). The remainder of the pending Motion’s will be denied as either moot, violative of the Local Rules of Civil Procedure in blatant disregard of this Court’s warning (see Doc. 41), or outright frivolous. This case arises from alleged unpaid tax assessments, civil penalties, and the United States’ attempt to foreclose tax liens on several properties (the “Subject Properties”) belonging to Defendants. (See Doc. 1.) The United States alleges that Ms. Taylor has unpaid federal tax liabilities, and therefore, the government may claim an interest in the real properties at issue. (Id. at 3 ¶ 5.) Mr. McBride, Ms. Taylor’s husband, is the trustee of several land trusts that have an interest in the Subject Properties. (Id. ¶ 6.) Ms. Saunders is Ms. Taylor’s daughter and similarly is the trustee of other land trusts that have an interest in the Subject Properties. (Id. ¶ 7.) The Subject Properties comprise eleven pieces of real property in Pinal County and Maricopa County, Arizona. (Id. at 5 ¶ 19.) In 2010, Ms. Taylor was indicted on charges of tax evasion and failure to file tax returns for tax years 2003 through 2006. (Id. at 11 ¶ 68.) After a five-day jury trial, she was found guilty and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison and was also ordered to pay $2,234,219 in restitution. (Id. ¶¶ 68–69.) After Ms. Taylor’s trial, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) determined her tax liability for tax years 2003 through 2006 and sent her a notice of deficiency that also included proposed additional tax and penalties. (Id. at 11–12 ¶¶ 71–72.) In 2006, the United States brought a summons enforcement case against Ms. Taylor in this District. (Id. at 12 ¶ 75.) However, she refused to comply with a court order to turn over documents to the IRS. (Id. ¶ 76.) As a result, she was held in contempt for over two years. (Id.) A portion of the contempt sanctions was an award of $4,339.33 in costs, which the IRS assessed against her in 2013. (Id. ¶ 78.) The United States alleges that despite notice and demand for payment of all these assessments, Ms. Taylor has “neglected, refused, or failed to fully pay” them. (Id. ¶ 80.) Moreover, the United States notes that interest, penalties, and statutory additions have accrued and will continue to accrue as provided by law. (Id. at 13 ¶ 82.) Ms. Taylor’s total federal tax liability, as alleged in the Complaint, is $3,727,865.28, plus interest and applicable statutory additions. (Id.) The United States alleges that Ms. Taylor utilizes sham trusts (the “Taylor Trusts”) or entities (the “Taylor Entities”) to hold title to the Subject Properties and shield them from creditors. (Id. at 15–16 ¶¶ 88–92.) The trustees on several of the Taylor Trusts are Mr. McBride and Ms. Saunders.1 (See id. at 5–11 ¶¶ 19–65.) The United States seeks an

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