Brad Charles Fisher, Tax Evasion, Montana 2013

Brad Charles Fisher, a 51-year-old former insurance salesman, has been found guilty of attempting to evade or defeat income tax in a federal district court trial in Helena, Montana.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Fisher concealed and attempted to conceal from the Internal Revenue Service the nature and extent of his assets and made false statements to IRS agents from April 2006 to January 2008.

The evidence presented at trial showed that Fisher earned substantial amounts of income by selling insurance products from 2001 to 2006 but did not file any tax returns for these years until mid-2006. After the IRS commenced a civil audit and sent him a notice of tax deficiency, Fisher eventually filed his 2001-06 returns, reporting that he earned income and owed tax.

However, contrary to his accountant’s instruction, Fisher only paid a small portion of his tax due. By Fisher’s own estimation, he owed a total of about $444,761 in tax for 2001-06, but he paid a total of about $44,444.

The IRS agent assigned to collect Fisher’s back taxes met with him on May 9, 2006, and asked that he fill out a Collection Information Statement. Fisher provided a partially filled-out form, but failed to disclose several motor vehicles and a 2004 Chaparral boat that he owned. He also failed to mention a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado that he had recently purchased.

The IRS began to take steps to levy certain of Fisher’s assets in late 2006, and he filed for bankruptcy on November 14, 2007. It was only during a subsequent bankruptcy hearing that the agent learned about the vintage classic cars that Fisher had previously concealed.

Fisher faces possible penalties of 5 years in prison, a $100,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for September 13, 2013.

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