JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SUES KANSAS-BASED TAX EVASION PROMOTER

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Justice today filed suit in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., to stop Randall Brian Jarvis of Jameson, Mo., from promoting tax-evasion scams. The suit alleges that Jarvis operates not only in his own name, but also using the aliases Christopher T. Michaelson and Josiah Richards.

According to the suit, Jarvis sets up sham trusts and limited liability companies for his clients and then purports to instruct his clients in how to use these sham entities to hide income and assets from the Internal Revenue Service. Today's filing also indicates that, while Jarvis charges his clients for these "services," the IRS has assessed more than $2 million in back taxes against his clients, at least one of whom recently pleaded guilty to tax evasion and is awaiting sentencing.

"Tax-evasion promoters enrich themselves by helping others to violate the tax laws," said Eileen J. O'Connor, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division. "This is one of many cases we are pursuing across the nation to shut down these scams."

According to the suit, Jarvis also uses the names Order of Jesus Christ's Disciples, Order of Christian Disciples, Church of Jesus Christ Disciples, and Christian Disciples International.

Tax evasion schemes cost United States taxpayers billions of dollars a year. According to a report issued by the General Accounting Office in May 2002, however, IRS and Justice Department efforts have led to increasing numbers of convictions for promoters and individuals involved in tax fraud schemes.

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