Renaissance Gang

[Dezcad]

A day later and still no news? Postponement or sentence? Or did Mr Cota go to fugitive status?

Another continuance:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ))
JESSE COTA, )
Defendant. )
CASE NUMBER: 04-20105-02-CM
MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE OF HEARING
The United States of America, by and through undersigned counsel, respectfully requests a continuance of the sentencing hearing scheduled for July 21, 2009. The parties request a continuance until August 25, 2009. In support of this motion, the government states:
1. That this matter is currently set for sentencing on July 21, 2009.
2. The defense counsel is unavailable due to a death in the family.
3. That defendant has no objection to this continuance.
4. That the additional time requested will not prejudice the parties herein.
THEREFORE, it is respectfully requested that the Court continue the hearing from
July 21, 2009, until a date and time convenient to the Court and the parties.
WHEREFORE, the United States prays that the relief requested be granted.

Respectfully Submitted,
Lanny D. Welch
United States Attorney
District of Kansas
s/Scott C. Rask
Scott C. Rask, #15643
Assistant United States Attorney
500 State Avenue, Suite 360
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
(913) 551-6730
(913) 551-6541 (fax)
Scott.Rask@usdoj.gov
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on July 20, 2009, this Motion was electronically filed with the
clerk of the court by using the CM/ECF system which will send a notice of electronic filing
to the following:
Dennis L. Perez
Hockman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher and Perez
9150 Wilshire Boulevard - Suite 300
Beverly Hills, California 90212
(310) 281-3200
(310) 859-5106 (fax)
perez@taxlitigator.com
Mark A. Thornhill
Spencer Fane Britt & Browne, L.L.P.
1000 Walnut, Suite 1400
Kansas City, Missouri 64106-2140
(816) 474-8100
(816) 474-3216 (fax)
mthornhill@spencerfane.com
Attorneys for defendant
s/Scott C. Rask
Scott C. Rask, #15643
Assistant United States Attorney

Recent docket entries:

07/16/2009 249 Unopposed MOTION to Continue Sentencing Hearing by Todd Eugene Strand. (Telthorst, Thomas) (Entered: 07/16/2009)
07/16/2009 250 ORDER granting 249 Motion to Continue Sentencing as to Todd Eugene Strand (3). Sentencing set for 8/10/2009 at 09:30 AM in Courtroom 463 (CM) before District Judge Carlos Murguia. Signed by District Judge Carlos Murguia on 7/16/2009. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 07/16/2009)
07/16/2009 251 PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION REPORT as to Michael Craig Cooper

(NOTE: Access to this document is restricted to the USA and this defendant.)

(USPO) (Entered: 07/16/2009)
07/17/2009 252 NOTICE OF HEARING as to Defendant Michael Craig Cooper. Sentencing set for 7/22/2009 is now at 09:00 AM in Courtroom 463 (CM) before District Judge Carlos Murguia. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 07/17/2009)
07/20/2009 253 MOTION for New Trial by Michael Craig Cooper. (Jenab, John) (Entered: 07/20/2009)
07/20/2009 254 MOTION to Continue Sentencing Hearing by Michael Craig Cooper. (Jenab, John) (Entered: 07/20/2009)
07/20/2009 255 MOTION to Continue Sentencing Hearing by USA as to Jesse Ayala Cota. (Rask, Scott) (Entered: 07/20/2009)
07/20/2009 256 ORDER granting 255 Motion to Continue Sentencing as to Jesse Ayala Cota (2). Sentencing set for 8/25/2009 at 01:30 PM in Courtroom 463 (CM) before District Judge Carlos Murguia. Signed by District Judge Carlos Murguia on 7/20/2009. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 07/20/2009)
07/21/2009 257 ORDER giving the government until 8/20/2009 to respond as to Michael Craig Cooper re 253 MOTION for New Trial filed by Michael Craig Cooper. The defendant's reply date is due 30 days after the government files a response. If after review, the court believes a hearing is necessary, or upon motion of the parties, the court will set a hearing at a later date. Signed by District Judge Carlos Murguia on 7/21/2009. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 07/21/2009)
07/21/2009 258 ORDER granting 254 Motion to Continue Sentencing as to Michael Craig Cooper (1). Sentencing set for 11/18/2009 at 09:30 AM in Courtroom 463 (CM) before District Judge Carlos Murguia. Signed by District Judge Carlos Murguia on 7/21/2009. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 07/21/2009)

[Observer]

This guy can start stringing up Xmas lights.

[Judge Roy Bean]

If anyone wonders why confidence in the justice system is waning, you only have to look at this case and compare it to thousands of rocket-docket misdemeanor and felony trials that toss low-level criminals into state and Federal prisons in a matter of days or weeks.

[Lambkin]

Thomas Steelman sentenced

http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/3286

A retired Internal Revenue Service agent, Thomas W. Steelman, 72, of Blue Springs, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his role in a tax fraud scheme.

He also was ordered to pay more than $10.6 million in restitution to the IRS.

Steelman is one of at least a half dozen persons who have pled guilty to fraud or conspiracy charges in connection with their involvement in Renaissance-The Tax People, a defunct Topeka-based enterprise.

EDIT: Another KC Star blog entry mentions that Steelman pleaded guilty in 2002 (!?)

http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene ... fraud.html

[The Observer]

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ))
JESSE COTA, )
Defendant. )
CASE NUMBER: 04-20105-02-CM
MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE OF HEARING
The United States of America, by and through undersigned counsel, respectfully requests a continuance of the sentencing hearing scheduled for July 21, 2009. The parties request a continuance until August 25, 2009.

The 25th has come and passed - has Mr. Cota been sentenced at last?

[Dezcad]

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF KANSAS
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
Plaintiff, )
)
v. ))
JESSE COTA, )
Defendant. )
CASE NUMBER: 04-20105-02-CM
MOTION FOR CONTINUANCE OF HEARING
The United States of America, by and through undersigned counsel, respectfully requests a continuance of the sentencing hearing scheduled for July 21, 2009. The parties request a continuance until August 25, 2009.

The 25th has come and passed - has Mr. Cota been sentenced at last?

Here's the latest docket entry:

08/19/2009 263 NOTICE OF HEARING as to Defendant Jesse Ayala Cota: Sentencing RESET for 8/26/2009 at 02:30 PM in Courtroom 463 (CM) before District Judge Carlos Murguia. (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 08/19/2009)

[Dezcad]

Sentencing has finally been done:

8/26/2009 267 MINUTE ENTRY for proceedings held before District Judge Carlos Murguia: Sentencing held on 8/26/2009 as to defendant Jesse Ayala Cota. Scott Rask appeared on behalf of the government. Defendant appeared in person and through counsel, Dennis Perez and Mark Thornhill. Defendant advised of his rights. The court confirms that defendant has received and reviewed with counsel the Presentence Investigation Report (PSIR). The PSIR is made a part of the official record and shall be maintained under seal. See JCC for further details. Government moved for the dismissal of Counts 24-104 & Forfeiture Allegation #1 - granted. Defendant allowed to voluntarily surrender. (Court Reporter Nancy Wiss.) (This is a TEXT ENTRY ONLY. There is no.pdf document associated with this entry.) (jw) (Entered: 08/27/2009)

08/26/2009 268 JUDGMENT as to Jesse Ayala Cota (2), Count(s) 1, 24-57, 2s-57s, 58-93, 58s-93s, 94-104, 94s-104s, Dismissed.; Count(s) 1s, 24 months imprisonment: 2 years supervised release: $100.00 assessment. Signed by District Judge Carlos Murguia on 8/26/09. (yh) (Entered: 08/27/2009)

[The Observer]

Thanks, Dezcad for providing the updates on this person.

This was one of those unbelievable stories of an IRS executive that went bad. It was a situation where one would expect that a person charged with the administration of the tax laws of this nation would continue supporting those laws even after they had left the IRS. It certainly wasn't an issue of ignorance or lack of understanding about what the tax laws meant. In the final end, Mr. Cota was motivated by greed and a need to show the private sector that he a mover and shaker, even if the Big 5 accounting firms weren't interested in retaining his services as a retired IRS executive.

[Lambkin]

Coverage from the KC Star

http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/3594

Jesse Ayala Cota, 68, of Buena Vista, Calif., had pleaded guilty in April 2007 in federal court in Kansas to one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.

Cota, a 33-year veteran of the IRS who rose to become a district director, went to work for Renaissance, the Tax People Inc., in July 1999 after retiring from the IRS. At his guilty plea hearing, he admitted counseling taxpayers on how to defraud the government using methods devised by Renaissance.