Famous Tax Evasion Cases You Never Heard of…

-Professional race car driver Hélio Castroneves was charged in 2009 for filing years of false tax returns and tax evasion in the amount of $80 million. Although he didn’t deny the charges, his attorney stated that “The racer isn’t to blame due to a brain injury which had compromised his decision-making abilities.”

-In 1952, the then IRS commissioner Joseph D. Nunan, Jr. made an $1,800 bet  that Harry Truman would win the presidential election.  Nunan won the bet but failed to report his winnings on his income tax returns. When this story became public knowledge, he was convicted of tax evasion.

-William Berroyer was in the  Hauppauge, NY, IRS office in 2008 to negotiate a settlement of his $60,000 tax bill when he tripped and fell over a telephone cord. Berroyer spent 17 days in hospitals and rehabilitation clinics for his injuries and sued the IRS for $10 million.  His case went before a judge who ruled in favor of Berroyer in 2014, but reduced his award to $862,000, and waived his tax liability.