Thomas G. Roots - Page 19

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          liability for civil fraud with respect to 1987.  Gray v.                    
          Commissioner, 708 F.2d 243, 246 (6th Cir. 1983), affg. T.C. Memo.           
          1981-1.                                                                     
               Next, we consider whether respondent established that                  
          petitioner committed fraud for his 1984, 1985, and 1986 taxable             
          years.  Viewing the record as a whole, we are satisfied that                
          respondent has met her burden of proving fraud.  Among other                
          things, we note that petitioner:  (1) Intentionally understated             
          his income, (2) did not keep books for either his rental or                 
          insurance business, (3) failed to segregate his other income and            
          expenses from the income and expenses of his insurance agency and           
          rental activities, and (4) engaged in conduct which clearly                 
          indicates his attempt to conceal income by instructing his                  
          tenants to lie to the Internal Revenue Service about the rent               
          they paid to him.4  Petitioner had a 4-year pattern of                      
          underreporting his gross income; petitioner admits that he                  
          received commission checks for insurance commissions but did not            
          report these amounts unless the insurance companies reported the            
          amounts on Forms 1099; and petitioner admits that he received and           
          failed to report rental income from his tenants at 1739 Swift.              
          On loan applications, he disclosed to financial institutions                

               4 In the stipulation of facts, the parties agreed that the             
          Wilsons would testify that petitioner instructed the Wilsons to             
          lie to the Internal Revenue Service about the amount of rent they           
          paid.  At trial, petitioner testified that he never instructed              
          the Wilsons to lie.  We do not find petitioner's testimony                  
          credible.                                                                   




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