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Saturday, February 08, 2020
Government Food Service Provider Pleads Guilty To Payroll Tax Fraud
Did Not Pay More Than $10 Million in Taxes
A Potomac, Maryland-based operator of companies providing food-services in government buildings pleaded guilty today to failing to account for and pay over more than $10 million in employment and sales tax, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.
According to documents and information provided to the Court, Steve Choi was the founder, president, and operator of nine companies that provided food services within government buildings located in the DC area. As president and operator of the companies, Choi was responsible for withholding, accounting for, and paying over to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employment taxes. Notwithstanding these obligations, and civil collection efforts by the IRS, Choi failed to pay the companies’ employment taxes. Even after Choi acknowledged in a 2011 interview with IRS personnel that he had the authority and responsibility to pay employment taxes, from 2012 through 2015, Choi did not pay over $4.4 million in employment taxes. During the same period, Choi also did not pay more than $6.2 million in sales taxes to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue on behalf of his food services companies. Rather than pay the sales and employment taxes, from 2011 through 2015, Choi directed his companies to pay millions of dollars in other expenditures, including over $1 million in personal salary, personal donations, and cash advances.
“Prosecuting employment tax fraud remains a priority for both the Tax Division and the Internal Revenue Service,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman. “As today’s guilty plea reflects, we will aggressively pursue those who do not comply with their employment tax obligations.”
“Choi chose to personally enrich himself rather than abide by the law and pay over employment taxes he already withheld,” said IRS-CI SAC Kelly R. Jackson. “The tax law is clear – every employer is responsible for withholding and paying over employment taxes from the salaries of their employees.”
U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 2, 2020. At sentencing, Choi faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release and monetary penalties. In his plea agreement, Choi has agreed to pay restitution of $6,490,515 to the Office of Tax and Revenue and of $4,903,820 to the United States.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Shea thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and Office of Tax and Revenue who investigated the case, and Trial Attorneys Jack Morgan and Eric Schmale of the Tax Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez, who are prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the Division’s website.
Trashing America as racist won’t help Democrats beat Trump
The Democrats are lucky the February debate in New Hampshire took place on a Friday night, when relatively few were watching — because if they wanted to deliver the message to the working-class white people who delivered the upper Midwest and the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016 that they should stick with him rather than voting blue in November, they did a brilliant job of it.
Tom Steyer, the billionaire who’s trying to buy a win Bloomberg-style in the South Carolina Democratic primary, issued a stark warning at the beginning of the Democratic debate Friday night in New Hampshire: Trump has the economic numbers that can help him get reelected, and Democrats are going to need to have a strong message to overwhelm it.
About an hour into the debate, they found their message: America, Bernie Sanders said, is “a racist society from top to bottom.”
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Tom Steyer, the billionaire who’s trying to buy a win Bloomberg-style in the South Carolina Democratic primary, issued a stark warning at the beginning of the Democratic debate Friday night in New Hampshire: Trump has the economic numbers that can help him get reelected, and Democrats are going to need to have a strong message to overwhelm it.
About an hour into the debate, they found their message: America, Bernie Sanders said, is “a racist society from top to bottom.”
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Wow: AOC and Her Boyfriend Give White People Tips for Not Being Racist
Progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez loves to do strange Instagram live videos. Although they aren't quite up there with Beto O'Rourke's, sometimes they leave you wondering why she would think to talk about a specific topic or say some of the things she does.
The representative from New York decided to do an Instagram live video with her boyfriend, Riley. In the video the two decided to talk about racism and even offer white people tips to combat it.
"So, Riley, what has been helpful to you in combating racism?" Ocasio-Cortez asked her other half.
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The representative from New York decided to do an Instagram live video with her boyfriend, Riley. In the video the two decided to talk about racism and even offer white people tips to combat it.
"So, Riley, what has been helpful to you in combating racism?" Ocasio-Cortez asked her other half.
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Joe Biden Doubles Down in NH: Sue Firearm Companies for Criminal Gun Use
Joe Biden used his gun control time at the New Hampshire Democrat debate to call for Americans to be able to sue firearm makers over gun crime.
Biden segued into these comments by criticizing Bernie Sanders for supporting the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a law that prohibits frivolous lawsuits against manufacturers of firearms, which are legally made and sold.
Biden said Sanders’ support for that law was a “mistake” that gave “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.”
He added, “The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that, and it’s going to hard.”
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Biden segued into these comments by criticizing Bernie Sanders for supporting the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a law that prohibits frivolous lawsuits against manufacturers of firearms, which are legally made and sold.
Biden said Sanders’ support for that law was a “mistake” that gave “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.”
He added, “The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that, and it’s going to hard.”
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'He is not a racist': Ben Carson says Trump driven by 'kindness and compassion'
Housing Secretary Ben Carson defended President Trump against charges he is a racist, saying that the president fought for the rights of minorities in clubs near his home.
"You know, people say he's a racist, he is not a racist," Carson said. "When he bought Mar-a-Lago, he was the one who fought for Jews and blacks to be included in the clubs that were trying to exclude them."
Speaking at a Charlotte, North Carolina, community college event, Carson suggested Trump gets along with minorities who work for him. "You know, talking to the people who drive the cars and park the cars at Mar-a-Lago, they love him — the people who wash the dishes, because he's kind and compassionate," Carson said.
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"You know, people say he's a racist, he is not a racist," Carson said. "When he bought Mar-a-Lago, he was the one who fought for Jews and blacks to be included in the clubs that were trying to exclude them."
Speaking at a Charlotte, North Carolina, community college event, Carson suggested Trump gets along with minorities who work for him. "You know, talking to the people who drive the cars and park the cars at Mar-a-Lago, they love him — the people who wash the dishes, because he's kind and compassionate," Carson said.
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Structure Fire At Salisbury Middle School
Update: Appears to be a fire in the HVAC unit that triggered the alarm and sent smoke into the school.
Robert Conrad, Star of Television Series The Wild Wild West, Dies at 84
Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 1, 1935, Conrad worked as a milkman while pursuing a career as a local nightclub singer before moving to Los Angeles in 1958 and booking his first big recurring role on Hawaiian Eye in 1959.
After Hawaiian Eye, the actor went on to star as Secret Service agent James T. West in The Wild Wild West, which ran from 1965 to 1969. The show followed the characters of West and Artemus Gordon as the country’s first Secret Service agents exploring the west during the Ulysses S. Grant administration.
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Virginia eliminates holiday celebrating two Confederate generals
The Virginia House passed a bill that would eliminate a holiday celebrating two Confederate leaders and instead make Election Day a state holiday. Lee-Jackson Day honored Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson and was celebrated the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Now, Virginia will no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day as a state holiday, but they won't be one holiday short. Election day, which takes place nationwide on the first Tuesday in November, will become a state holiday, WTVR reports.
The bill SB 601 was first introduced by State Senator Louise Lucas and passed in the Senate in January, with a vote of 22 to 18.
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Now, Virginia will no longer observe Lee-Jackson Day as a state holiday, but they won't be one holiday short. Election day, which takes place nationwide on the first Tuesday in November, will become a state holiday, WTVR reports.
The bill SB 601 was first introduced by State Senator Louise Lucas and passed in the Senate in January, with a vote of 22 to 18.
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The U.S. Cities Mired In The Most Debt
Truth in Accounting has released its 2020 Financial State of Cities report, highlighting the fiscal health of America's 75 most populous cities. Statista's Niall McCarthy notes that the study found that this year, 63 cities do not have enough money to pay their bills and total municipal debt now stands at $323 billion.
It ranked the cities according to their taxpayer burden or surplus which is the amount each taxpayer would have to pay to clear municipal debt with nothing, such as benefits and services, in exchange.
New York has $62.7 billion available to pay $249.4 billion worth of bills which breaks down to a burden of $63,100 per taxpayer.
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Taliban claims 'five or six' US soldiers and six Afghan troops were killed in firefight in eastern Afghanistan
American and Afghan military personnel were fired on while conducting an operation in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, the US military said Saturday, as unverified claims by the Taliban indicate at least five dead US soldiers.
There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released.
US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and US personnel were 'engaged by direct firing.'
'We are assessing the situation,' Leggett said, without saying whether there were any casualties.
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There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released.
US military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and US personnel were 'engaged by direct firing.'
'We are assessing the situation,' Leggett said, without saying whether there were any casualties.
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Why Impeachment Failed
It’s comforting, no doubt, to believe that Donald Trump has survived the impeachment trial because he possesses a tighter hold on his party than did Barack Obama or George W. Bush or any other contemporary president. In truth, Trump, often because of his own actions, has engendered less loyalty than the average president.
It’s difficult to recall, after all, a single Democratic senator throwing anything but hosannas Obama’s way, which allowed the former president to ride his high horse from one scandalous attack on the Constitution to the next.
In 1998, no Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton, who had engaged in wrongdoing for wholly self-serving reasons, despite the GOP’s case being far more methodical and incriminating.
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It’s difficult to recall, after all, a single Democratic senator throwing anything but hosannas Obama’s way, which allowed the former president to ride his high horse from one scandalous attack on the Constitution to the next.
In 1998, no Democrat voted to convict Bill Clinton, who had engaged in wrongdoing for wholly self-serving reasons, despite the GOP’s case being far more methodical and incriminating.
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Florida man, 28, is arrested for the 66th time on drugs and firearms charges after being on the run for months - as cops blast light sentences which saw him back on the street
A Florida man was arrested for the 66th time on Wednesday after he was on the run from authorities for eight months.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took Kizer Pontoon, 28, into custody for resisting an officer, attempting to flee the scene with sirens activated and a moving traffic violation.
Authorities featured Pontoon as part of their 'Fugitive Friday' series, noting that he has been spotlighted four times and has more than five dozen local arrests.
'[Pontoon] was most recently featured in October 2019 for failure to appear, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, high speed vehicle pursuit while fleeing to elude, and driving while license suspended,' they wrote.
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The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office took Kizer Pontoon, 28, into custody for resisting an officer, attempting to flee the scene with sirens activated and a moving traffic violation.
Authorities featured Pontoon as part of their 'Fugitive Friday' series, noting that he has been spotlighted four times and has more than five dozen local arrests.
'[Pontoon] was most recently featured in October 2019 for failure to appear, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, high speed vehicle pursuit while fleeing to elude, and driving while license suspended,' they wrote.
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Is coronavirus ten times WORSE than feared? Leading scientist warns that only 10 per cent of cases are being identified by tests as virus spreads across the globe
The number of coronavirus cases across the world could be ten times higher than official figures show, a leading British scientist warned yesterday.
Amid rising concern over the spread of the virus, experts said the vast majority of cases were likely to have been missed.
The death toll in mainland China – the epicentre of the outbreak – has now reached 722, with 86 people dying on Friday alone and there being more than 34,400 patients infected. There have been a further 320 cases in 27 other countries, including three in Britain, and one death reported from the Philippines.
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Amid rising concern over the spread of the virus, experts said the vast majority of cases were likely to have been missed.
The death toll in mainland China – the epicentre of the outbreak – has now reached 722, with 86 people dying on Friday alone and there being more than 34,400 patients infected. There have been a further 320 cases in 27 other countries, including three in Britain, and one death reported from the Philippines.
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GOP candidate Kimberly Klacik believes pro-Trump agenda can flip Elijah Cummings's district red
Republican strategist Kimberly Klacik said after winning the primary election to run for the late congressman Elijah Cummings’s old seat in Baltimore that she won because of her “grassroots efforts," and she added that some of President Trump’s policies will help her historically blue district.
“What I try to remind people is if you take a look at President Trump — take a look at prison reform, First Step Act, he’s actually just rewinding and fixing what was broken with that crime bill that led to so much mass incarceration that you really see in the greater Baltimore area,” Klacik said on Fox News.
“For the past year or so, I’ve been going around in communities and talking to people. I believe I won the primary off of those grassroots efforts,” she added.
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“What I try to remind people is if you take a look at President Trump — take a look at prison reform, First Step Act, he’s actually just rewinding and fixing what was broken with that crime bill that led to so much mass incarceration that you really see in the greater Baltimore area,” Klacik said on Fox News.
“For the past year or so, I’ve been going around in communities and talking to people. I believe I won the primary off of those grassroots efforts,” she added.
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Buttigieg blames Trayvon death on 'white supremacy'
Hoping to fan racial flames in his direction before the South Carolina primary, Pete Buttigieg tweeted out his support for Trayvon Martin on the occasion of what would have been Martin's 25th birthday, February 5.
"Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today," Mayor Pete tweeted. "How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?" Buttigieg threw in a Black Lives Matter hashtag just to make sure black voters knew he was down for the struggle.
This tweet would have been unfortunate six months ago. Today, it is unforgivable. In December, attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch, filed suit on behalf of George Zimmerman in the Circuit Court of Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit. The story made national news
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"Trayvon Martin would have been 25 today," Mayor Pete tweeted. "How many 25th birthdays have been stolen from us by white supremacy, gun violence, prejudice, and fear?" Buttigieg threw in a Black Lives Matter hashtag just to make sure black voters knew he was down for the struggle.
This tweet would have been unfortunate six months ago. Today, it is unforgivable. In December, attorney Larry Klayman, the founder of Judicial Watch, filed suit on behalf of George Zimmerman in the Circuit Court of Florida's Tenth Judicial Circuit. The story made national news
More
House Democrats pass bill allowing illegal immigrants to seek damages from employers
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Friday that would make illegal immigrants eligible for damages from their employer if their labor rights are violated.
The bill, passed almost entirely by Democrats, aims to expand labor protections, boost unions, and end worker misclassification. The bill also effectively abolishes state right-to-work laws.
“The penalties for violating the [National Labor Relations Act] are weaker than those for violating other labor and employment laws, and workers lack a private right of action to pursue relief on their own,” a Committee on Education and Labor fact sheet said. “Workers are frequently misclassified as independent contractors or supervisors, and thus excluded from the protections afforded to employees covered by the NLRA.”
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The bill, passed almost entirely by Democrats, aims to expand labor protections, boost unions, and end worker misclassification. The bill also effectively abolishes state right-to-work laws.
“The penalties for violating the [National Labor Relations Act] are weaker than those for violating other labor and employment laws, and workers lack a private right of action to pursue relief on their own,” a Committee on Education and Labor fact sheet said. “Workers are frequently misclassified as independent contractors or supervisors, and thus excluded from the protections afforded to employees covered by the NLRA.”
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Tennessee lawmakers propose bill to charge parents with child abuse for allowing minors to undergo sex change
Two conservative Tennessee lawmakers have jointly introduced a bill that would have parents charged with child abuse if they allow their prepubescent kids to undergo sex change therapy.
Republican Rep John Ragan and state Senator Janice Bowling on Wednesday filed House Bill 2576, which defines 'sexual identity change therapy' as ‘a treatment that involves the use of hormone replacement, puberty blockers, or other medical intervention to change the sexual identity or physical appearance of a patient to a sexual identity or physical appearance that does not correspond to the anatomy and chromosomal makeup with which the patient was born.’
Under the proposed legislation, children who have not yet hit puberty would be prohibited from undergoing sex change therapy.
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Republican Rep John Ragan and state Senator Janice Bowling on Wednesday filed House Bill 2576, which defines 'sexual identity change therapy' as ‘a treatment that involves the use of hormone replacement, puberty blockers, or other medical intervention to change the sexual identity or physical appearance of a patient to a sexual identity or physical appearance that does not correspond to the anatomy and chromosomal makeup with which the patient was born.’
Under the proposed legislation, children who have not yet hit puberty would be prohibited from undergoing sex change therapy.
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