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In this article, I’ll offer my opinion on several Famous Tax Evaders, how they were sentenced compared to Hunter Bidens slap on the wrist, and why we’re looking at the wrong issue.
I could cite many examples of rich and famous tax fraud cases, but no one wants to read all that, and I certainly don’t want to spend my time looking all of that up. There are just too many famous tax evaders.
Every Case Is Unique
Some articles compare Hunter Biden’s deal, likely without prison time, to people like Wesley Snipes and Kodak Black. I guess this opinion piece is similar, but I have a different take on it – honesty without the outrage.
Yes, I’m as outraged as anyone over the injustice on every front in America, but I have to set that aside for this piece. Otherwise, facts become blurred and become just another useless weapon in the left versus right 💩 show – of which I am neither.
There’s nothing fair when it comes to us and them – whether you’re talking about political sides or rich versus poor. It all stinks, and there’s no going back.
When Trump said he was smart for not paying taxes, I thought, “Yep.” It’s all stolen money, anyway. When I read those giant profitable corporations like HP, FedEx, DTE, Dish, Nike, and others paid ZERO taxes [6], I knew it had been happening forever.
Corruption works best when you have the capital and power to implement it and the connections to get away with it.
Brian D. Hawkins – Soon to be famous quote (After I’m dead)
Should the rich pay their fair share?
What’s a fair share? Should the rich have a higher percentage of money stolen from them? I guess that depends on your perspective. To me, no one should have their income taxed. Since I’m not king, and that’s not the world we live in, I feel ‘fair’ can only be doled out by percentage. (Article coming)
A Few Famous Tax Evaders That Were Sentenced To Prison
This list is, admittedly, cherry-picked. For every famous tax evader that went to jail, dozens of famous tax evaders either bought their way out of it or were slapped with fines. The comparisons are not an argument for the sensible. Different judges, jurisdictions, offense history, legal resources, amounts, and circumstances. Let’s not forget that Hunter’s daddy is president, whether Joe knows it or not.
Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds – Sentenced to five months.
Pete Rose, in 1990, was sentenced to five months in prison, ordered to pay a $50,000 fine, and serve 1,000 hours of community service for two charges of filing false income tax returns from $354,968 in unreported income. [1,2]
Darryl Strawberry, New York Mets – Sentenced to three months.
Darryl Strawberry, in 1995, was sentenced to three months in prison and three months of house arrest. Strawberry plead guilty to one count of tax evasion ($100,000+ over four years) and was sentenced to three months in prison, three months of home confinement, 100 hours of community service, pay $350,000 in taxes, interest, and penalties to the IRS. [3]
Wesley Snipes, Actor – Sentenced to three years.
Wesley Snipes, in 2008, was convicted of failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004 ($7 million). He was sentenced to three years in prison. Snipes served 845 days of his three-year sentence. [4]
Leona Helmsley, hotel chain owner – Sentenced to four years in prison.
Leona Helmsley was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $7.1 million for tax fraud. She also had to pay $1.7 million in federal and state taxes. Helmsley served 18 months in prison, one month in a halfway house, and two months of house confinement. For probation, Helmsley was required to complete 750 hours of community service probation but was later sentenced to an additional 150 hours when the courts learned her employees did some of her required service. [5]
The Real Problem Isn’t Famous Tax Evaders – It’s Corrupt Politics
The real problem is with the justice system being a political tool. Prosecutors let dangerous criminals out to commit again or don’t even charge them at all while going after political opponents with both barrels.
When you hear someone say, “No one is above the law,” you just heard a lie.
The Question We Should Be Asking
The court said Hunter Biden failed to pay more than $200,000 in federal income taxes for 2017 and 2018 [7] and that he had more than $1.5 million in income each year [8].
What are the federal income taxes on more than $3 million? I understand he deducted prostitutes and sex clubs from his taxes [9], but $200K on $3 million seems a little low – even with the number of hookers Hunter had.
At a marginal tax rate of 37% and an effective tax rate of 35.61%, the federal tax liability (without deductions) should be $1,068,163 (Using tax rates as of Jan. 2023), according to the Forbes Income Tax Calculator. Now that’s a lot of hookers. I’m impressed, Hunter!
I know nothing about Hunter Biden’s financial situation or business deductions, so I could be way off base, but it makes one wonder what is going on in the world. Oh wait, we already know.
Let’s not forget
And since we’re comparing here, just to make things interesting, remember that Leona Helmsley was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $7.1 million, and ordered to pay back $1.7 million in back taxes on a conviction of evading $1.2 million in federal income taxes. $7 million in fines on less than $2 million in taxes. Again, there were other factors involved in her case and history, but there is a huge discrepancy in punishment.
One final comment – keep your eye on the ball
Distractions are a mainstay of both legacy media and our cartel of corruption. When we see the media hammering a story, dig deeper. Buried stories and what’s not being said can be far more critical than what we’re being spoon-fed.
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See ya, Brian
Citations, Credits, and Footnotes
- “Rose Sentenced to 5 Months for Filing False Tax Returns (Published 1990).” The New York Times, 2023, www.nytimes.com/1990/07/20/sports/rose-sentenced-to-5-months-for-filing-false-tax-returns.html. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- KAY, JOE. “Pete Rose Pleads Guilty to Felony Tax Charges.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 20 Apr. 1990, apnews.com/article/9f8dbe220a027af9897ba46e72c97be4. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- “I.R.S. To Auction off Annuity from Darryl Strawberry’s Mets Days (Published 2014).” The New York Times, 2023, www.nytimes.com/2014/12/23/sports/baseball/irs-to-auction-off-annuity-from-darryl-strawberrys-mets-days.html. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- Kelly Phillips Erb. “U.S. Tax Court to Wesley Snipes: Pay the IRS.” Forbes, 2 Nov. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2018/11/02/us-tax-court-to-snipes-pay-the-irs/. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- “Leona Helmsley, Hotel Queen, Dies at 87 (Published 2007).” The New York Times, 2023, www.nytimes.com/2007/08/20/nyregion/20cnd-helmsley.html. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- Dorger, Samanda. “30 Biggest Companies That Paid Zero Taxes.” TheStreet, TheStreet, Feb. 2022, www.thestreet.com/investing/30-biggest-companies-that-paid-zero-taxes. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- KINNARD, MEG. “What to Know about Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal in Federal Tax and Gun Case.” ABC News, ABC News, 20 June 2023, abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hunter-bidens-plea-deal-federal-tax-gun-case-100242153. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- Kates, Graham. “Key Takeaways from Hunter Biden’s Guilty Plea Deal on Federal Tax, Gun Charges.” Cbsnews.com, CBS News, 20 June 2023, www.cbsnews.com/news/hunter-biden-plea-deal-guilty-tax-gun-charges-takeaways/. Accessed 25 June 2023.
- MacKinnon, Joseph. “Hunter Biden Deducted Prostitutes and Sex Club from His Taxes, Possibly Violated Sex-Trafficking Laws,…” TheBlaze, TheBlaze, 23 June 2023, www.theblaze.com/news/hunter-biden-deducted-prostitutes-and-sex-club-from-his-taxes-says-irs-whistleblower. Accessed 25 June 2023.
Featured Image Credit: BidenLaptopMedia.com. Bidenlaptopmedia.com, 2016, bidenlaptopmedia.com/.
Image Credit: Tax calculator screenshot – Income Tax Calculator 2022-2023: Estimate Your Taxes – Forbes Advisor.” Forbes, 2023, www.forbes.com/advisor/income-tax-calculator/ © 2023 Forbes Media LLC
MEME Credit: I created the MEME with the Imgflip Meme Generator | Hunter Biden MEME, inspired by Robert Malone’s Sunday Strip.
More Reading:
- Just The News: Feds built $2.2 million tax case against Hunter Biden dating to 2014 before being thwarted
- Marco Polo files, images, and documents.
- Report on the Biden Laptop – Marco Polo
- Laptop & Phone images bidenlaptopmedia.com
Brian D. Hawkins is a late-blooming thought leader in his mind. So please don't disturb his happy thoughts. It's all he has.
Brian D. Hawkins has been a blogger for over twenty years, having written thousands of public articles on dozens of websites. He currently blogs for NextStepSurvival.com and his personal blog at TheOpinionBlog.com.
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