- 34 - activities; (8) attempting to conceal illegal activities; (9) dealing in cash; (10) failing to make estimated tax payments; and (11) filing false documents. See Spies v. United States, supra at 499; Bradford v. Commissioner, supra at 307-308. Additional factors to be considered include the taxpayer’s background, level of education, and prior history of filing proper returns. Niedringhaus v. Commissioner, 99 T.C. 202, 211 (1992). The instant case involves many “badges” of fraud. Accordingly, the Court concludes that Mr. Wright fraudulently intended to underpay taxes for 1999, 2000, and 2001. Notably, Mr. Wright is sophisticated in tax matters. He is a certified public accountant and certified financial planner, has a master’s degree in business administration, and owns and operates an S corporation that provides accounting services and tax advice to its clients. Additionally, Mr. Wright failed to cooperate with the tax authorities. Mr. Wright was not a credible witness as he frequently gave inconsistent and implausible answers to questions asked during trial. Specifically in 1999, Mr. Wright concealed income by transferring $54,000 to petitioners’ offshore bank account. Mr. Wright structured petitioners’ $54,000 deposit transaction specifically to avoid the exportation of monetary instruments reporting requirements. Additionally, Mr. Wright constructed aPage: Previous 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Next
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