Tennis Champion Boris Becker Jailed for Two and a Half Years for Hiding Assets from Bankruptcy

Posted on May 6, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Grand Slam champion Boris Becker has been jailed for two and a half years after hiding assets and debts worth more than £2.5 million after being declared bankrupt. The three-time Wimbledon winner deliberately transferred money to family and associates when he faced financial struggles in 2017, successfully keeping £390,000 (€426,930) and the proceeds of a bank loan worth £1.1 million from his creditors. Becker also failed to declare his ownership of a £1 million German property and £75,000 in shares he held in a tech firm. Becker’s financial troubles came as a result of his £38 million sporting fortune being depleted by an expensive divorce, child maintenance, and the cost of continuing his luxury lifestyle.

If you’re struggling financially and considering bankruptcy, call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Bankruptcy, General | Leave a comment

Three Family Members Sentenced in USDA Crop Loan and Bankruptcy Fraud Schemes

Posted on May 5, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Aimee and Donald Rosenbaum, along with their son, Marshal Rosenbaum were recently sentenced in federal court for their roles in crop loan and bankruptcy fraud schemes. Aimee was sentenced to 78 months of imprisonment and faces hefty fines, fees, and restitution. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  Donald was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Marshal, the couple’s son, was sentenced to three months of imprisonment and three months of home confinement. He was also ordered to make $165,592.21 in restitution to the USDA-FSA, jointly and severally with Aimee Rosenbaum.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. 

All three family members pleaded guilty, and their guilty pleas, as well as evidence from Aimee’s three-day sentencing hearing, help paint a picture of the situation. Aimee and Donald Rosenbaum historically farmed land in Chickasaw County, Iowa. In 2014, Aimee directed Marshal, her son, to apply for a crop loan with the USDA-FSA for the 2015 crop year on the pretense that Marshal would be taking over the farm. Marshal obtained over $165,000 in loan proceeds and pledged the farm’s 2015 crop to the USDA-FSA. Then, Aimee, using a power of attorney she had obtained from Donald, applied for and obtained over $1.3 million in loans from a local bank on the representation that Aimee and Donald would continue to farm the land that year. This resulted in the 2015 crop being double-pledged without the knowledge of the USDA or the bank.

The family eventually defaulted on both loans and sold the double-pledged crop with little to no repayment. After the bank started foreclosure proceedings on the Rosenbaums’ farm, Aimee and Donald filed five bankruptcy petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Iowa. Aimee and Donald each filed two additional bankruptcy petitions in bad faith and on the eve of scheduled Sheriff’s sales in state court in order to delay the bank’s attempts to obtain repayment for its loans to Aimee and Donald.  During one telephonic hearing in bankruptcy court in 2019, Aimee pretended to be Donald.  The district court also found that Aimee submitted false evidence and testimony to the district court at her sentencing hearing.

Considering bankruptcy? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options.

Posted in Bankruptcy, Fraud, General | Leave a comment

Child Sponsorship Update: Maryam

Posted on May 4, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Some of our valued members of our law office team include the children that we sponsor. We have recently received an update about Maryam. She is one of Afghanistan Child Foundation’s students who was enrolled in a private school last year. Sadly, Maryam was unable to attend school due to lockdowns, recent political changes, caring for her ill mother, and her own kidney problems.

She is set to begin fourth grade next year and hopes to continue her lessons without any more interruptions. Since the new government took over in Afghanistan, there are only a few factories and companies still operating. This means that the unemployment rate has surged. After numerous health problems in her family, she is thankful for the opportunity to pursue an education.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

40% of U.S. Small Businesses Plan to Raise Prices by at Least 10%

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Four in ten of U.S. small businesses intend to raise selling prices by 10% or more amid rampant inflation says a National Federation of Independent Business survey. More than two-thirds of respondents plan to increase prices in the next three months, and almost half of the small firms are planning increases of 4-9%. This suggests that many businesses are planning increases above the current national inflation rate— the consumer-price index rose 8.5% in March. Nearly 90% of employers in the survey said they have needed to raise prices to absorb these extra costs.

Struggling financially? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Education Department to Forgive $238 Million in Cosmetology School Student Loans

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

The Education Department said Thursday that it will cancel the loans of 28,000 student borrowers who attended a now-defunct for-profit chain of cosmetology schools. This is the latest move by the Biden administration to address the issue of student-debt forgiveness. Borrowers who attended the Marinello Schools of Beauty between 2009 and its closure in 2016 are eligible for relief, which amounts to $238 million. The federal government previously determined that Marinello had “engaged in pervasive and widespread misconduct that negatively affected all borrowers” enrolled during that period — among other things, that it had “failed to train students in key elements of a cosmetology program, such as how to cut hair.” Some Marinello loans have already been forgiven, but this action is a broad group discharge for anyone who went to the school during that period, even those who haven’t applied for relief.

Struggling with debt? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a free consultation to discuss your options.

Posted in Debt | Leave a comment

Girl Scouts Lose Trademark Lawsuit Over Boy Scouts Marketing

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

A federal judge ruled that the Boy Scouts of America didn’t infringe on the Girl Scouts of the USA’s trademarks, saying the girls-only group failed to show any confusion from the Boy Scouts’ efforts to recruit girls into coed programming. Judge Alvin Hellerstein with the U.S. District Court of New York dismissed the Girl Scouts’ lawsuit alleging the Boy Scouts had damaged the Girl Scouts trademark rights and confused the public by using gender-neutral phrases like “Scout Me In.”

Judge Hellerstein said in his ruling the Girl Scouts’ complaint “is based, not on concern for trademark confusion, but on fear for their competitive position in a market with gender neutral options for scouting.” “Though Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts may now compete more than they once did, neither organization can pre-empt the other’s use of the Scout terms and their trademarks are not likely to be confused,” the judge said. The Girl Scouts said that it was disappointed by the judge’s ruling and that it planned to file an appeal. “This case is about ensuring that parents are not misled into thinking that Girl Scouts are part of or the same as the Boy Scouts,” the group said in a statement.

If you’re interested in speaking with an attorney, call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Lawsuits | Leave a comment

Lee’s Summit man submits plea in Leavenworth shooting that killed 1, injured 1

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Lee’s Summit man has submitted a plea after being charged in connection with a shooting in Leavenworth that killed one person and injured another almost two years ago. According to the Leavenworth County attorney, 21-year-old Cody Joseph Nichols pleaded “no contest” to involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is set to be sentenced on May 11.

County Attorney Todd Thompson’s office said that on July 18, 2020, Nichols went to Leavenworth in a stolen Nissan Pathfinder with the intention of trading it for money and drugs. When he arrived, he met Sanquan Brooks and Collin Ireland, where it was reported that Nichols and Brooks brandished guns during the transaction. Witnesses also heard gunshots. Nichols was found to have shot Brooks five times with a semiautomatic handgun. He also shot Ireland in the right arm. Nichols then fled the scene. Brooks ultimately passed away, and Ireland left the scene in the Nissan. Leavenworth police ultimately found him at the hospital where had gone to seek treatment for his gunshot wound.

Due to prior convictions, Nichols is looking at a 24-year sentence due to his perceived criminal history, but that is ultimately determined by the judge.

Need to speak with an attorney? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Failing to Pay $2 Million in Payroll, Employment Taxes

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

A Lafayette County, Missouri, business owner has pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay over nearly $2 million in payroll and employment taxes over a four-year period. Sandra Eller, 59, of Napoleon, Mo., waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on charges of failure to truthfully account for and pay over to the IRS the federal income taxes and payroll taxes withheld and owing to the government. Eller has owned and operated three different medical billing and claims processing companies.

By pleading guilty, Eller admitted that she willfully failed to deposit the Federal Insurance Contributions Act and Medicare (FICA) taxes and income taxes that were withheld from her employees’ wages. Eller also admitted that she did not pay the employer portion of FICA. Eller withheld the FICA taxes and income taxes, totaling $939,294, on 18 occasions between 2019 and 2019. Eller withheld payroll taxes from her employees’ paychecks; however, instead of forwarding those taxes to the government, she kept them for her business. Eller also owed the employer’s portion of the FICA taxes, unpaid federal unemployment taxes, employment tax, and state tax withholdings that were not paid over, all of which total $1,051,699.

Eller’s actions resulted in a total tax loss of $1,990,993. Federal statutes dictate that Eller is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Need to speak with an attorney? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Taxation | Leave a comment

Why it may take longer than 21 days for some taxpayers to receive their federal refund

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

The IRS issues most refunds in fewer than 21 days for taxpayers who file electronically and choose direct deposit. However, some returns have errors or need more review and may take longer to process. The IRS works hard to get refunds to taxpayers quickly, but taxpayers shouldn’t rely on getting a refund by a certain date.

Things that can delay a refund:

The IRS will contact taxpayers by mail if it needs more information to process their return.

The fastest way to get a tax refund is by filing electronically and choosing direct deposit. People who don’t have a bank account can learn about opening an account at an FDIC-Insured bank or the National Credit Union Locator tool.

Taxpayers can check the status of their refund online.

To check the status of a refund, taxpayers should use the Where’s My Refund? tool on IRS.gov. If taxpayers file electronically, they should wait twenty-four hours before checking the status of their refund. If taxpayers file a paper return, they should wait four weeks before checking the status.

Courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service

IRS representatives on the phone and at Taxpayer Assistance Centers can only research the status of a refund if:

  • It’s been 21 days or more since the taxpayer filed the return electronically.
  • It’s been six weeks or more since the taxpayer mailed the return.
  • The Where’s My Refund? tool tells the taxpayer to contact the IRS.

In need of tax help? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in General, Taxation | Tagged | Leave a comment

Former Kentucky prosecutor, wife plead guilty to wire fraud

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Camron Hoorfar

Michael T. Hogan was the county attorney in Lawrence County when he conspired with his wife to pocket delinquent tax funds collected by the office, according to the U.S. Attorney in Lexington. Federal prosecutors said Hogan paid his wife, Joy Hogan, his legal secretary, more than $365,000 between 2013 and 2020. The U.S. Attorney’s office said Hogan would write checks to his wife from the account.

Hogan also admitted to over-billing for work with Lawrence County’s child support enforcement office. Michael and Joy Hogan are set for sentencing on July 6, and they are each facing a maximum 20-year sentence on the wire fraud conviction. Michael Hogan also faces up to 10 years in prison on a program theft conviction.

Need to speak with an attorney? Call our office at 816-524-4949 or click here to schedule a consultation.

Posted in Fraud, General | Leave a comment