Leon M. and Mary K. Jaroff - Page 46

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          not required to accept petitioner's self-serving testimony as               
          true, particularly when inconsistent and contradicted by other              
          evidence.  Wood v. Commissioner, 338 F.2d 602, 605 (9th Cir.                
          1964), affg. 41 T.C. 593 (1964); Niedringhaus v. Commissioner, 99           
          T.C. 202, 212 (1992); Tokarski v. Commissioner, 87 T.C. 74, 77              
          (1986); Snyder v. Commissioner, T.C. Memo. 1995-285; Sacks v.               
          Commissioner, supra.                                                        
               Petitioner does not allege that Tucker misled or deceived              
          him.  As a member of Becker Co., Tucker was privy to the                    
          particulars of Becker's investigation.  Certainly he knew that              
          Becker did not take any experts with him to PI, especially                  
          considering Becker's testimony that Tucker was with him on one              
          such occasion.  To the extent that Tucker related the particulars           
          of Becker's investigation to petitioner, we have no reason to               
          doubt that his representations were accurate and forthright.  In            
          addition, Becker's testimony convinces us that petitioner                   
          discussed the Plastics Recycling transactions with Becker and               
          that Becker supplemented the representations made by Tucker, so             
          that petitioner knew "precisely what * * * [Becker] had done to             
          investigate or analyze the transaction."  Accordingly, we find              
          that petitioner was fully apprised of the particulars of Becker             
          Co.'s investigation, consistent with the facts as we have found             
          them.                                                                       
               We hold that petitioner's purported reliance on Tucker, and            
          indirectly on Becker, was not reasonable, not in good faith, nor            




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