Comments on: Fore! Golfer Hit With Tax Evasion Charges

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:36:57 +0000

Steve, I agree with you that Daschale’s defense and Obama’s statement that he made an honest mistake is hard to believe – Here we have a lawyer with a major law firm pulling in millions of dollars a year in compensation claiming he did not understand a basic concept of tax law – not only unbelievable but totally outrageous and even more outrageous that the president tries to defend his behavior. However, in terms of prosecuting a criminal case, Jim Thorpe’s case would be more appealing to DJ than Daschale’s because not filing returns for three years while you are making millions would be easier to prove and more egregious to a jury than Daschale’s case which would require proof of his intent where it appears that he did not engage in this cconduct in other tax years. That DJ may not pursue a criminal prosecution against Daschale does not excuse what he did and I would hope that the IRS at least would assert civil penalties.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:10:26 +0000

I agree with the point Larry is making. But Mr. Daschel basically said he “didn’t know having a car and a driver (for some number of years) was taxable income”….Ignorance of the law is no excuse either and I dont believe Mr. Daschel didn’t know. I just am making the point how it seems that the DOJ is on to some non-taxpayers, but not ALL non-taxpayers. And, I would guess Mr. Daschel has an accountant. Its very hard to explain to the public that Mr. Daschel just “made an honest mistake”. Come on…..I dont think Mr. Daschel is ignorant on the topic.

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:30:16 +0000

This guy not only failed to pay his taxes but he also failed to file his tax returns. It doesn’t take an accountant to know that on April 15 of each year, you are required to file a tax return as long as your income exceeds certain minimum levels. By not filing his tax returns for three years, Jim Thorpe was trying to evade the payment of his taxes. If he doesn’t have the money to pay his taxes with all the tournaments he won, then he obviously was living a lavish lifestyle during this period of nonpayment at taxpayers’ expense. The Department of Justice does not seek prison time nor will the court impose it unless the taxpayer’s conduct was egregious. Not filing your returns for three years when you owe a substantial liability and living a lavish lifestyle is egregious and deserves incarceration. Incarcerating Jim Thorpe, if he indeed did evade the payment of his taxes also will serve the deterrent effect on other taxpayers (especially those taxpayers who are self-employed and believe the IRS can’t detect what they really earn) who might be encouraged to evade the payment of their taxes if they only faced financial penalties.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 22:43:02 +0000

While I dont think anyone should get away with not paying taxes, weren’t there two Obama appointees that basically said the same thing …it was an oversite they didnt pay tax on some portion of their income (in one case I think it was withholding tax)?

By: Terry

Terry — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:26:06 +0000

Put him in jail.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:57:34 +0000

I share your point about the prison system. The problem is that we clearly don’t have sufficient financial penalties in place… Rich folks aren’t scared of a quick fine that doesn’t make a dent in their pockets. Think of Paris Hilton. Do you really think that paying a ticket would have stopped her from drinking and driving again? But I think a little jail time scared the dickens out of her.

By: Urbie

Urbie — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:47:46 +0000

This is one of those cases where it would make zero sense to put him behind bars if convicted. Thorpe is still a d*mn good golfer, and at 60, he’s getting a little old for the Champions Tour but can still make a healthy income. I have no idea what his balance sheet looks like, though — it could be that he doesn’t have the cash to pay the back taxes plus fines. If you slap him in the pokey, you’re taking away his means of earning the money to pay what he owes.

I’m guessing he’s right when he says he had no intention of violating the law. He probably pays more attention to keeping his swing sharp (and if you’ve ever seen Jim Thorpe’s swing, it probably takes a lot of practice to keep it sharp!) than to taxes. Working as a self-employed golf pro, he’d need a good tax geek to keep track of everything — it’s possible that, despite the millions he’s earned, he didn’t hire a good accountant; that would not be without precedent.

No, this is one the IRS should settle.