OMG! WE HAVE THE "PERFECT CRIME" WHICH MEMBERS OF THE 1% BY THE DROVES HAVE BEEN WANTONLY COMMITTING FOR YEARS WITH THE LEAST BIT OF CONCERN OF BEING PUNISHED, LET ALONE CAUGHT.
The crime? Tax evasion!
26 U.S. Code § 7201 - Attempt to evade or defeat tax
Any person who willfully attempts in any manner to evade or defeat any tax imposed by this title or the payment thereof shall, in addition to other penalties provided by law, be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100,000 ($500,000 in the case of a corporation), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.
The perps? Hundreds of Thousands of wealthy Americans.
From 2006, when scrutiny of Swiss private banks first began, through 2011, the number of American taxpayers disclosing offshore accounts more than doubled, to 618,134, according to data from FinCen, the U.S. Treasury branch that deals with money laundering.
Still, government officials and tax lawyers say that with perhaps six million Americans living and working overseas somewhere in the world, hundreds of thousands of taxpayers, if not more, have yet to come clean.The deal is already leaving telephones of tax lawyers ringing off the hooks from Americans with Swiss accounts.
"Any non-compliant U.S. taxpayer who can't read the handwriting now on the wall as an emergency signal to come forward," said Katzberg, "is legally blind."
"Any non-compliant U.S. taxpayer who can't read the handwriting now on the wall as an emergency signal to come forward," said Katzberg, "is legally blind."
The aiders and abetters? The banks!
Credit Suisse bankers wooed wealthy American clients at bank-sponsored events such as an annual Swiss Ball in New York or golf tournaments in Florida and Nassau, Bahamas, according to the report. Almost 10,000 U.S. clients visited a branch office at Zurich airport given the code name “SIOA5.”
Dougan told the committee that “the airport office was needed because many U.S. clients traveled to Switzerland to go skiing” and didn’t want to go into Zurich.
One client with a $2.6 million account recounted his annual meeting with a Credit Suisse banker. When he arrived at the bank, the client took an elevator with no buttons that was controlled remotely. He met the banker in a nondescript, white meeting room. After each meeting, the client signed an order to destroy account statements they reviewed and declined offers to withdraw cash, according to the report.
What is amazing is that this has been going on in plain sight for years and no one seemed the least bit interested or concerned about it. Even now that it is finally being brought to light there seems to be very little interest in putting a stop to it and absolutely no indication that anyone will be charged or prosecuted for these crimes.
A few slaps on the wrists. A publicized scolding by a few news hungry politicians. Some apologies and claims of ignorance (wink-nod, wink-nod) and let's move on now folks. Nothing here.
That's the way 1% justice works in this country. Thousands of people, stealing billions of dollars from the American public.Worse case scenario; they will be offered amnesty if they come forward, pay a small fine, and promise to not do it again. Tough justice indeed!
Blow hard politicians like to proclaim we are a "country of laws" which is what makes us great while in the very next breath literally flush all of rhetoric down the toilet and continue to pander to the rich and famous by blindly condoning crimes that damage the country and it's citizens.
A nation is only a nation of laws if it enforces those laws. Lip service and flag waving falls far short of that goal.
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