2025-05-01
Continuing our series on Famous Tax Quotes (quotes from court opinions and rulings with language that is colorful or that concisely states an important tax principle), today's tax quote is from a Court of Federal Claims case that was published yesterday. The husband and wife taxpayers wildly inflated the amounts reported as wages ($14 million) and income tax withheld ($2.2 million) and reported inflated deductions (medical deductions alone were $8 million).
The court held that the husband and wife taxpayers “actively attempted to defraud the Internal Revenue Service, the United States, and this Court.” Accordingly, their claim was forfeited. One of the ways they inflated their deductions was to multiply them by 54:
Why a multiplier of 54? The Court does not know. It is easier now, however, to comprehend the final destination that produced the fantastical numbers of the Quinones’ claim.
Quinones v. U.S., Court of Federal Claims, No. 24-810, April 30, 2025.