Picture this, you are a lowly accountant for a large corporation. Let’s say this is an international corporation worth several billions of dollars. You as an accountant, are tasked with filing tax returns for your boss who is in middle management, shall we say. You are an accountant in your forties, female and single, living in a world where gender and age can sometimes stop you from getting a job or from transitioning into another career. You have done the taxes for your boss for 5 years under the fear of being fired for not doing what he asks and you have helped him to commit tax fraud every year.
Because you do his taxes, you know all of his information including bank account details for the account he is using to hide millions of dollars from his wife in the Cayman’s and how he’s been embellishing the taxes so that he doesn’t have to pay his fair share to the taxman. During the annual Christmas party, you are tasked with preparing all the food and are not given one iota of thanks or even a gift from your boss or anyone else in the corporation. This paired with the prospect of facing another lonely Christmas alone because you can’t afford to go back to Minnesota for the holidays, (and other soul-destroying issues that make up your tragic life) you find you’ve reached your breaking point and decide this tax season you are going to show your boss what it feels like to be you… You are going to turn him in to the taxman, oh and amend his returns for the last 5 years!
Now, because you are a seasoned accountant, you know that the IRS rewards whistle-blowers with 30% of the tax penalty of the person that you turn into the authorities. With your boss making 6.5 Million dollars a year you add up the figures in your head and see dollar signs. As you sit in the office late into the night diligently undoing the wrong of the past five years by amending the tax returns of your wonderful boss, you are struck with fear. Asking yourself what could happen to you if he finds out that you were the person who reported him to the IRS. Could you face any legal ramifications you think to yourself? You decide in your wisdom, that you should seek the advice of an attorney before proceeding to blowing the whistle and draining your bosses bank accounts in the Cayman Islands.
In instances of whistle-blower cases, it is imperative that you have a lawyer to protect you and guide you through the process of blowing the whistle and receiving your cash award. A good attorney will make sure that your identity is kept secret, and your safety is secured as is required under the law. Douglas Healy can help you with your whistle-blower case and ensure that you get the money you deserve for doing the right thing and that you are not prosecuted or threatened prosecution for coming forward and helping your boss commit the fraud. it is important to note that he must sign his own return and as such once he is signed it he is agreeing that the information that was put on the return is correct and truthful under pain of prosecution. It doesn’t matter if you prepared the paperwork.
After filing the whistle-blower paperwork, it can take several months if not years for you to receive any cash award issued by the IRS. Also, the payout you receive is subject to tax and other fees at the federal and possibly state level.
Even though in this scenario you are a seasoned accountant you still have to seek the advice of an attorney. This is because you may never have filed such paperwork and you do not want to make a mistake or unwittingly out yourself to your employer. With Douglas Healy, you will have access to a top-quality lawyer who is abreast of all tax laws and regulations, including state and federal. With Doug on your side, you can rest easy knowing that in blowing the whistle you are doing the right thing and are protected under the law