FEDERAL COURT BARS PROMOTION OF INTERNET TAX-FRAUD SCHEME

Ohio Man Marketed Scheme Nationwide Through the Internet

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Justice Department announced today that a federal court in Cincinnati has issued a preliminary injunction barring Batavia, Ohio resident Richard Standring, and his business, VIP Sales, from marketing, selling, or promoting an IRS document “decoding” tax scheme.

The court’s order, entered by U.S. District Court Judge Susan J. Dlott, bars Standring from promoting a sham Internal Revenue Service (IRS) “Document Decoder” tax scam. The court held that Standring falsely informs his customers that they can use his “Document Decoder” service to prove to the IRS that they are not legally obligated to file federal income tax returns or to pay federal income taxes. Standring and VIP Sales, located in Cincinnati, marketed this scheme nationwide at seminars and on several websites.

“People should steer clear of gimmicks to reduce or eliminate federal taxes,” said Eileen J. O’Connor, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “Those who fall for tax scams can expect to pay back taxes, interest and penalties, and may face criminal prosecution for evading taxes.”

Standring also must send a copy of the court’s order to his customers and provide the Department of Justice with a list with his customers’ names, addresses, e-mail addresses, and Social Security numbers. More information about this case is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/txdv04722.htm.

The Justice Department has sought and obtained injunctions against more than 160 tax promoters and preparers since 2001. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department Tax Division’s website at http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/taxpress2006.htm. More information about the Justice Department’s Tax Division can be found at http://www.usdoj.gov/tax/index.html. The IRS listed return-preparer fraud as one of the 2006 “Dirty Dozen” tax scams. The “Dirty Dozen” list can be found at http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=154293,00.html.