Scott Norris Johnson, Filing False Tax Return, California 2023

State: California
Category: Fraud &#038; Financial Crimes
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/california-attorney-and-filer-ada-lawsuits-pleads-guilty-filing-false-tax-return" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

California Attorney Fails to Report Income from Disability Lawsuits, Faces Prison Sentence

Scott Norris Johnson, a 60-year-old attorney from Carmichael, California, has pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return, underreporting income he earned from thousands of disability discrimination lawsuits.

According to court documents, Johnson owned and operated Disabled Access Prevents Injury Inc (DAPI), a legal services corporation, which he used to file over 4,000 lawsuits in the Eastern District of California and elsewhere under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and related California statutes, naming himself as the plaintiff.

Johnson, a former IRS attorney, was required to report the taxable portion of the lawsuit settlements and awards he received. However, he intentionally underreported this income on his 2012, 2013, and 2014 tax returns, causing a loss to the IRS of more than $250,000.

Johnson faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison for filing a false tax return and also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California made the announcement.

IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case, with Assistant Chief Matthew J. Kluge of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine T. Lydon of the Eastern District of California prosecuting the case.

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