False Return Conviction Provides Basis for Collateral Estoppel to Prevent Discharge

The Tax Court opinions, cited above, determining first that collateral estoppel applies to civil fraud and then subsequently determining it does not provide lengthy analysis concerning the scope of a false return plea.  From the perspective of punishment both tax evasion, IRC 7201, and filing a false return will get the taxpayer to the same prison sentence almost every time.  Because the elements of the two crimes differ slightly and because proving the filing of a false return is slightly easier, prosecutors lean towards a false return conviction at times. Chief Counsel attorneys used to complain bitterly when Assistant United States Attorneys would accept a plea to a false return count rather than evasion because it meant a lot more work in the subsequent civil case; however, the change to 6201(a)(4) to allow assessment of the restitution amount may have taken some of the sting off of the situation.

The difference in the elements of the two crimes plays a role in deciding whether collateral estoppel applies.  The Tax Court examined this difference closely in its opinions applying the elements of the crimes to the civil fraud penalty while the BAP does not do spend as much time applying the elements of the crime to the elements of the applicable discharge statute.

In Considine the Tax Court reasoned:

(a) that it had previously held that a conviction for willfully attempting to avoid tax (I.R.C. § 7201) established fraudulent intent justifying a civil fraud penalty, see Amos v. Commissioner, 43 T.C. 50, aff’d, 360 F.2d 358 (4th Cir. 1965); (b) that the Supreme Court had held that “willfully” has the same meaning in section 7206(1) (false return) as in section 7201 (attempt to evade tax), see United States v. Bishop, 412 U.S. 346, 93 S.Ct. 2008, 36 L.Ed.2d 941 (1973); and (c) therefore that a conviction for filing a false return, without more, establishes fraud justifying the civil penalty.

Considine v. United States, 683 F.2d 1285, 1286 (9^th Cir. 1982)(the 9^th Circuit criticizes the Tax Court’s decision in citing to Considine v. Commissioner, 68 T.C. at 59-61)

In reconsidering and reversing Considine, the Tax Court in Wright stated:

“In a criminal action under section 7206(1), the issue actually litigated and necessarily determined is whether the taxpayer voluntarily and intentionally violated his or her known legal duty not to make a false statement as to any material matter on a return. The purpose of section 7206(1) is to facilitate the carrying out of respondent’s proper functions by punishing those who intentionally falsify their Federal income tax, and the penalty for such perjury is imposed irrespective of the tax consequences of the falsification. As noted above, the intent to evade taxes is not an element of the crime charged under section 7206(1). Thus, the crime is complete with the knowing, material falsification, and a conviction under section 7206(1) does not establish as a matter of law that the taxpayer violated the legal duty with an intent, or in an attempt, to evade taxes.” (internal citations omitted)

The IRS Chief Counsel’s office at page 63 of its Tax Crimes Handbook states that “there is no collateral estoppel as to civil fraud penalties under this section. The section 7206 (1) charge is keyed into a false item, not a tax deficiency. Collateral estoppel arises only with a conviction or guilty plea to tax evasion.”  Similarly, IRM 25.1.6.4.3 provides that “A conviction under IRC 7206(1), filing a false return, does not collaterally estop the taxpayer from asserting a defense to the civil fraud penalty since conviction under IRC 7206(1) does not require proof of fraudulent intent to evade federal income taxes. In these cases, additional development is required to establish the taxpayer’s intent to evade assessment of a tax to be due and owing.”

At issue in Terrell is whether the his guilty plea for a false return places him squarely within the elements of 523(a)(1)(C).  Section 523 of the bankruptcy code sets out the actions with respect to individual debtors that prevent, or except, the discharge of a debt.  Congress has added to the list over the years since the adoption of the bankruptcy code in 1978.  The list of excepted debts in 523 numbers 19 and several of those 19 subparagraphs of section 523(a) have more than one basis for excepting the debt from discharge.

The provision relating to tax debts, 523(a)(1), has three separate bases for excepting a debt from discharge.  Subparagraph (A) excepts debts that achieve priority status under section 507(a)(8).  This subparagraph, in general terms, prevents debtors from discharging relatively new tax debts.  Subparagraph (B), which has been the subject of many posts, prevents debtors from discharging tax debts for which the debtor has never filed a return or filed a late return within two years of the filing of the bankruptcy petition.  Subparagraph (C) at issue in this case prevents debtors from discharging tax debts “with respect to which the debtor made a fraudulent return or willfully attempted in any manner to evade or defeat such tax.”

The question before the BAP concerns the language of the discharge exception for making a fraudulent return and the language of IRC 7206(1) for filing a false return.  Section 7206(1) holds a taxpayer liable for a felony tax offense if he “willfully makes and subscribes any return, statement, or other document, which contains or is verified by a written declaration that it is made under the penalties of perjury, and which he does not believe to be true and correct as to every material matter.”  Does this statute, which does not require any understatement of tax but merely a false statement, match the elements of bankruptcy code section 523(a)(1)(C) such that the conviction under IRC 7206(1) requires a finding of collateral estoppel regarding the discharge of the underlying taxes.

The BAP, after acknowledging that Mr. Terrell presented “no arguments as to why the bankruptcy court’s application of collateral estoppel was in error” says yes because (1) “the issue in the Criminal Case is identical to the issue presented in the Adversary Proceeding” because the same factual issues existed in both statutes; (2) his “guilty plea in the Criminal Case constitutes a full adjudication on the merits”; (3) both the debtor and the IRS were parties to the criminal case; and (4) the debtor “had a full and fair opportunity to litigate the Criminal Case.”

The language in 523(a)(1)(C) “made a fraudulent return” may sufficiently line up with the language of IRC 7206(1) to allow collateral estoppel to work here but I would like the court to work a little harder to make that connection for me.  The Tax Court eased into a similar conclusion with respect to the fraud penalty and an IRC 7206(1) conviction and then had to walk it back after the 9^th Circuit brought its attention to the elements of that crime.  The standard of proof for the IRS in a 523(a)(1)(C) case is preponderance of evidence unlike the clear and convincing standard needed for sustaining the civil fraud penalty.  There are certainly differences between the Considine situation and the Terrell case but enough similarities to deserve more analysis.  I am not yet convinced.