- 21 - account for the unreported income. Mr. Bacon originally claimed to have had $650,000 in nontaxable cash gifts on hand at the beginning of 1988, which would have been a potential nontaxable source. However, at trial petitioners stipulated that they only had $35,000 cash on hand at the beginning of 1988. Petitioners stipulated that they did not receive any gifts, inheritances, legacies, or devises. Respondent’s final bank deposit analysis is based primarily on stipulated facts. The record contains clear and convincing affirmative evidence that petitioners underpaid their 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991 Federal income taxes. B. Fraudulent Intent Respondent must prove that a portion of the underpayment is attributable to the fraudulent intent of petitioners. Fraud is the intentional wrongdoing motivated by a specific purpose to evade a tax known or believed to be owing. See Stoltzfus v. United States, 398 F.2d 1002, 1004 (3d Cir. 1968). The existence of fraud is a question of fact to be resolved upon consideration of the entire record. See Gajewski v. Commissioner, 67 T.C. 181, 199 (1976), affd. without published opinion 578 F.2d 1383 (8th Cir. 1978). Fraudulent intent can seldom be established by a single act or by direct proof of the taxpayer’s intention. It is usually found by surveying the taxpayer’s whole course of conduct and is to be proven as any other fact from all the evidence of recordPage: Previous 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Next
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