The IRS Cracks Down on NFL Players – Identity Tax Theft, Tax Fraud – What were they thinking

July 16, 2012
Written by: Fresh Start Tax

Just how stupid can you possibly be.

It is amazing to me these NFL players thought they were not going to get caught. Stupid is a stupid does

Three former  NFL players – Louis Gachelin,William Joseph, and Michael Bennett are in trouble with the IRS for tax fraud. Next time they play football is when they face the prison guards.

Gachelin, 31, of Miramar, pleaded guilty  in federal court in Miami to theft of government money and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola Jr. ordered Louis Gachelin be detained until his sentencing on Sept. 21.  2012. The maximum punishment for the crime  is 12 years in prison.

Louis Gachelin was caught in an FBI sting that targeted a financial crime in South Florida.

Undercover FBI agents  and the IRS set up a financial services store in North Miami, wired for audio and video surveillance, and made several arrests of people charged with cashing fraudulently obtained refund checks.

The IRS and the Justice Departments are very serious about the volume and frequency of these tax crimes and have dedicated special groups to enforce criminal justice.

South Florida is a high target area for these crimes. The two most prominent people arrested were former first-round draft picks, and former Oakland Raiders players William Joseph and Michael Bennett.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

Gachelin admitted  that he brought several federal tax refund checks, in several people’s names, to cash at the store in March and April. Come on dude, your on camera.

Prosecutors said that Gachelin agreed he would receive 60 percent and the store would keep 40 percent of the value of the checks.

This is the game being played.

Both the tax preparer and a check cashing store are usually both involved. In some cases, the names and social security numbers are paid for. The person obtaining the names and social security number sell these leads. Going price, anywhere from $25- $100 . The names are given to the preparer and the checks given to a third party to cash. Many times the store will get a kick back percentage for cashing the checks. In the end, they all go down.

Gachelin was not authorized to cash the checks but provided the undercover agents with handwritten names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, prosecutors said.

 

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