Anyone who thought blockchain would keep their cryptocurrency transactions private from the IRS needs to think again. According to the First Circuit’s recent holding, cryptocurrency users do not have a Fourth Amendment...more
10/8/2024
/ Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Fourth Amendment ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Investigations ,
Investors ,
IRS ,
John Doe Investigation ,
Law Enforcement ,
Personal Data ,
Summons ,
Third-Party
Prompted by congressional scrutiny of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) efforts to root out those abusing lucrative Puerto Rico tax benefits, the agency has committed to devoting more resources to audits of those taking...more
After years of explicitly warning taxpayers that failing to report or underreporting income from transactions involving digital assets would lead to criminal charges, federal prosecutors are now beginning to follow through on...more
2/23/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Capital Gains ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Income Taxes ,
Indictments ,
IRS ,
Required Forms ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Returns ,
Virtual Currency
The Department of Justice (DOJ), IRS Criminal Investigations (CI) and international tax authorities continue to prosecute tax abuses related to digital asset transactions. In imposing a multiyear prison sentence in a recent...more
Long-awaited enforcement actions may be coming soon for those who took advantage of the lucrative tax breaks offered by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico without meeting the requirements. Prosecutions may also follow for...more
7/27/2023
/ Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Puerto Rico ,
Relief Measures ,
Residency Requirements ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Tax Exemptions ,
Technology Sector ,
Voluntary Disclosure
In a recent ruling, a California federal judge held that Kraken, an online cryptocurrency exchange program, has to turn over user information to the IRS as a result of a John Doe summons originally served on Kraken in 2021....more
Takeaways:
..2022 IRS Criminal Investigation Annual Report highlights significant prosecutions and identifies cryptocurrency as an area of top priority heading into 2023.
..Criminal Investigation Chief Jim Lee...more
Key Takeaways -
..A court approved the issuance of a John Doe summons by the IRS to a bank aimed at identifying individuals who are potentially avoiding their income tax obligations relating to cryptocurrency...more
9/29/2022
/ Banks ,
Bitcoin ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Digital Assets ,
IRS ,
John Doe Investigation ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Summons ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Tax Liability ,
Tax Returns ,
Virtual Currency
Key Takeaways:
..The IRS issued its fourth John Doe summons against digital asset platform sFOX, seeking information regarding user identity and transaction activity over $20,000.
..The use of John Doe summonses...more
8/22/2022
/ Bitcoin ,
Criminal Liability ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
IRS ,
John Doe Investigation ,
Summons ,
Tax Evasion ,
Tax Liability ,
Virtual Currency
Key Takeaways -
..Taxpayers could be criminally and civilly liable under state False Claims Act statutes for underreporting income linked to virtual currency.
..While the federal False Claims Act explicitly excludes tax...more
5/24/2022
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) ,
IRS ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Avoidance ,
Tax Fraud ,
Whistleblowers
US and Swiss Financial Firms Announce Decentralized Exchange, Digital Bond - A major U.S. fintech and digital payments company recently released a white paper detailing tbDEX, a new decentralized protocol for exchanging...more
12/8/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Financial Markets ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
OCC ,
Popular ,
Virtual Currency