Donald Turner (First American Research) found guilty

[Judge Roy Bean]

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/Sept ... -1197.html

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Turner promoted and sold memberships in First American Research (FAR) and a book entitled, “Tax Free! How the Super Rich Do It.”

Sentencing set for Jan. 18, 2012.

[LPC]

Sentenced to 60 months.

From the DOJ:

PROMOTER OF ANTI-TAX SCHEME SENTENCED IN PENNSYLVANIA
TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR TAX CONSPIRACY

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012

Donald Turner (aka Don Wood) was sentenced to 60 months in prison, the maximum penalty under law for his crime of conviction, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. On Sept. 15, 2011, following a jury trial, Turner was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States.

U.S. District Court Senior Judge Maurice B. Cohill, sitting in Erie, Pa., also ordered Turner to three years of supervised release and $408,034 in restitution to the IRS. Turner was taken into custody immediately following the sentencing.

According to evidence at trial, Turner sold a book entitled "Tax Free! How the Super Rich Do It," which introduced readers to his organization, First American Research (FAR). Through FAR, Turner promoted an illegal scheme to reduce or eliminate an individual's tax liability through the use of purported offshore entities, among other things.

In 1991, Donald Turner had sold the program to Daniel Leveto, a Meadville, Pa., veterinarian. As part of the program, Leveto utilized various methods to conceal his income and assets from the IRS as directed by Turner. One of these methods included the purported sale of Leveto's veterinary business to an alleged offshore entity called Center Company. Leveto actually retained dominion and control over the veterinary business. In 2005, a jury convicted Leveto of all counts, and he was subsequently sentenced to prison.

The case resulted from an investigation by the IRS -- Criminal Investigation. Trial Attorneys Andrew P. Young and Thomas Voracek from the Justice Department's Tax Division prosecuted the case.

Incidentally, I've read (and made) some comments recently about respecting the copyright of news reports. Press releases don't count (or shouldn't count) because someone who issues a press release *wants* you to re-publish it. That's the whole point of issuing a press release, and so it should fall within the "fair use" exception (as long as the use is "fair," of course).

[Gregg]

Is any government document copyright protected anyway?

[Paths of the Sea]

Here's another report from the church side of the issue (I think posting it here is "fair use"):

--------------------------------------------------------------------

BrotherhoodNews.com

`Don Wood' sentenced to five years

Posted: January 30, 2012

ERIE, Pa (BNc) — On January 26th, 2012 Donald Keith Turner (known among churches
of Christ by his alias, Don L. Wood) was sentenced to five years imprisonment,
three years of supervised release, and restitution to the IRS of $408,034.

He was convicted by jury trial at Erie, Pennsylvania on September 15, 2011 for
conspiring to defraud the United States of tax revenue.

Turner first became associated with churches of Christ through a prison ministry
when he was serving a four-year sentence, having been convicted in 1986 for tax
fraud by setting up a fake church for the purpose of selling tax-evasion
schemes.

After being baptized in 1986, Turner encouraged his daughter to attend the
church of Christ. She has remained an active and faithful Christian to the
present time.

Turner published a book in 1990 entitled, `Tax free. How the super rich do it'.
He had set up a new organization through which he sold offshore tax evasion
schemes.

After an investigation by the IRS, Turner and one of his clients, Daniel J.
Leveto, were indicted on February 15, 2001. Both men left the United States.

Turner went to Sint-Maarten, which was one of the locations of his off-shore
scheme, then to Holland, South Africa (where he met Leveto) and then to India.

Leveto went to Belize, then to South Africa (where he met Don), Mexico and
Canada.

Leveto was arrested in March of 2004 at a Hubbard, Ohio truck stop. He was
convicted of tax fraud on October 14, 2005 and sentenced to 46 months in prison.
He appealed but lost the appeal.

The scheme involved Leveto's selling his business to a sham foreign trust
purportedly located in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

All profits were distributed to another sham foreign trust creating the illusion
that the profits were distributed as foreign source income to foreign
beneficiaries, eliminating US income tax liability.

Using debit cards he then channeled the profits back to himself in the US.

When Turner went to Sint-Maarten in 2001 he claimed he was going as a missionary
and he associated with local churches of Christ.

Later that year, he went to Holland where he continued to promote his
tax-evasion scheme. Roy Davison, although he did not know about the indictment,
warned people who had been approached by Turner that the scheme was illegal.

From Holland Turner went to South Africa and then finally went to India in
February of 2004.

There he also claimed he was doing mission work.

He arranged for two young boys to live with him, although they were not orphans,
promising to care for them financially.

He used their pictures as he tried to raise funds.

In India he set up a program called America's Medical Solutions to help people
in the West go to India for less-expensive medical treatment and to help Indian
doctors and nurses find employment in the West.

When in the US raising funds for his activities in India, he learned that he was
still wanted although it had been more than ten years since his indictment, so
he turned himself in at Erie, Pennsylvania in July of 2010, rather than waiting
to be arrested.

He was held in supervised custody at Diocesan Lodge until his trial in September
of 2011 and his sentencing in January of 2012. After sentencing he was taken
directly from the court to prison.

-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------

[Dr. Caligari]

After sentencing he was taken
directly from the court to prison.

He did not pass "Go." He did not collect $200.

[LPC]

Affirmed by the Third Circuit in a "precedential" opinion. United States v. Donald Turner, No. 12-1240 (3rd Cir. 5/1/2013).

[fortinbras]

The May 1st decision in US v. Donald Turner is currently listed as 2013 WL 181181, 2012 u.s.app. LEXIS 8870, with publication intended for F.3d.

Previous decisions with Donald Turner include: US v. Turner (WD Penn 8/6/11) 2011 WL 3471078, 2011 u.s.dist. LEXIS 86597, in which Turner could not obtain suppression of tape recordings of conversations between Turner and an undercover fed.
US v. Turner (WD Penn 2/13/12) 2012 WL 464366, 2012 u.s.dist. LEXIS 17747 in which Turner tried to raise the incredibly lame and already repeatedly rejected claim that the federal criminal code (title 18 of the US Code) had not been validly enacted.

Earlier cases involving Turner are: US v. Daniel Leveto (WD Penn 11/2/04) 343 F.Supp.2d 434, 94 AFTR2d 6759 (mentioning Turner as an indicted co-conspirator for tax fraud) in which a motion to suppress evidence was denied.
US v. Leveto (3d Cir. 8/26/08) 540 F3d 200, 102 AFTR2d 5878, 2008 US Tax Cas ¶50524, cert. denied (6/15/09) 557 US 906, affirming Leveto's conviction.