VFALS News

Longtime Norman Aide, Kelly Will Plead Guilty Of Tax Evasion

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:12:43 GMT

Following a February indictment on five counts of failing to file tax returns, Benjamin Kelly, former aide to state Sen. Jim Norman, plans to plead guilty to one count, according to the Tampa Tribune. Four of the counts were dropped under the...

Doug Guetzloe Sentenced to 15 Months In Prison

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:13:45 GMT

Orlando political consultant and radio talk show host, Doug Guetzloe has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for willfully failng to file tx returns, according to news reports. Guetzloe, 57, was found guilty by an Orange County jury in...

Former Tamarac Theater Operator Charged With Theft Of State Taxes

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:14:56 GMT

The Florida Department of Revenue charged the former operator of a Tamarac movie theater with theft of state funds after it says he collected more than $17,000 in sales taxes from patrons but failed to pay the government. The state said Monday...

Man Sentenced In Scheme Linking Tax Fraud, Drug Sales

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:16:36 GMT

A man who used fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury checks to buy a kilo of cocaine was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison. Patrick Shaw, 32, pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge and was given credit at his sentencing hearing for...

Feds: Two Tampa Bay Area Men Part Of $17 Million Tax Fraud

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:08:43 GMT

Over three years, a pair of Tampa Bay area men helped bilk the government out of $17 million in a tax fraud scheme, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. The two men — Osama "Sam" Mustafa, 47, and Khaldoun "Tony" Khawaja, 48 — worked...

Gov. Rick Scott's Top Adviser Arranged $5 Million No-bid Contract In Senate

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:58:38 GMT

TALLAHASSEE — When the Florida Senate was looking for someone to put its budget data online, it set aside $5.5 million and turned to the business partner of a close friend of the Senate's chief of staff at the time, Steve MacNamara.

TIGTA And Congress Focus On Identity Theft And Tax Fraud

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:02:32 GMT

On the same day the House Ways and Means Oversight and Social Security Subcommittees held a hearing on tax fraud involving identity theft, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released a report saying the IRS does not...

Florida Justices to Decide Whether to Punish 'Robo-signing'

Tue, 15 May 2012 20:03:02 GMT

TALLAHASSEE – A Greenacres homeowner has Florida bankers warning that "lending practices in Florida could come to a grinding halt" in a court case that could let homeowners turn the tables on lenders seeking to foreclose on their homes.

McAuliffe Defends Decision to Charge Suncoast High Band Director With Fraud

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:36:41 GMT

The current and former state attorneys are vehemently defending the decision to charge Suncoast High School band director Ernest Brown with fraud, after it came under attack last week at a school board meeting.

Teen Court Teaches Valuable Civics Lesson

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:34:02 GMT

Teen Court teaches valuable civics lesson It's easy to overlook the legal justice system. It's even easier to get a wrong view of how American law and order functions -- that is, if your only contact with it is from television cop shows.Stay...