Joseph White, Petitioner
Matthew S. Renetzky and Thomas A. Deamus, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
LAUBER, Judge: In this collection due process (CDP) case, petitioner seeks review pursuant to
In February 2017 petitioner was convicted under
In September 2022 the Department of Justice (DOJ) initiated, and in September 2023 the parties settled, a civil lawsuit under
While the collection litigation was pending, the IRS issued, and the IRS Independent Office of Appeals (Appeals) subsequently upheld, the levy notice at issue, seeking to collect $1,101,788, the unpaid portion of the $1.2 million aggregate RBA. We conclude that allowing the IRS to seek immediate collection of that sum via levy would be inconsistent, in at least two respects, with the September 2023 compromise settlement between DOJ and petitioner. Finding that the settlement officer (SO) abused his discretion in sustaining the levy, we will deny respondent‘s Motion for Summary Judgment. And treating petitioner‘s opposition to the Motion as a Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment, we will grant the Cross-Motion and enter a decision declining to sustain the collection action.
Background
The following facts are derived from the parties’ pleadings and Motion papers, Declarations and attached Exhibits, and the certified Administrative Record of the CDP proceeding. See Rule 121(c). Pursuant to Rule 201 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, we take judicial notice of certain filings in petitioner‘s criminal tax case. See United States v. White, No. 16-cr-10 (E.D. Pa. filed Jan. 13, 2016). We also take judicial notice of certain filings in the civil collection action involving petitioner‘s 2000–2011 tax years. See United States v. White, No. 22-cv-3795 (E.D. Pa. filed Sept. 23, 2022). Petitioner resided in Pennsylvania when he timely petitioned this Court.
I. Petitioner‘s Civil Tax Liabilities for 2000–2011
Petitioner earned substantial income as an electrical contractor during 2000–2011. He did not file returns for 2000–2008 by the time prescribed for filing. On August 6, 2009, he filed delinquent returns for those nine years. He filed those returns at the insistence of attorneys for his ex-wife, with whom he was engaged in a divorce proceeding. He did not enclose full payment for the tax liabilities reported on the returns.
Several months later the IRS assessed the tax shown on the returns, plus interest and additions to tax for failure to timely file, failure to timely pay, and failure to pay estimated tax. See
| Tax Period | Assessment Date | Tax | Additions to Tax | Interest | Total Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 09/28/2009 | $39,121 | $19,363 | $32,016 | $90,500 |
| 2001 | 10/05/2009 | 51,935 | 26,438 | 35,478 | 113,851 |
| 2002 | 10/05/2009 | 53,131 | 27,013 | 30,667 | 110,811 |
| 2003 | 10/05/2009 | 45,562 | 22,050 | 22,681 | 90,293 |
| 2004 | 10/05/2009 | 34,372 | 16,708 | 14,347 | 65,427 |
| 2005 | 10/05/2009 | 50,400 | 22,707 | 15,799 | 88,906 |
| 2006 | 09/07/2009 | 46,687 | 19,472 | 9,046 | 75,205 |
| 2007 | 08/31/2009 | 191,445 | 60,161 | 16,806 | 268,412 |
| 2008 | 08/31/2009 | 56,011 | 2,021 | 855 | 58,887 |
| TOTAL | $568,664 | $215,933 | $177,695 | $962,292 |
Petitioner filed timely returns for 2009 and 2010, and in February 2013 he filed a delinquent return for 2011. For 2009 and 2010 he enclosed no payment for the tax liabilities reported on the returns; for 2011 he enclosed a payment of $93,313, but his bank did not honor the check. The IRS assessed the tax shown on the returns, plus interest and applicable additions to tax for failure to timely file, failure to timely pay, and failure to pay estimated tax. See
| Tax Period | Assessment Date | Tax | Additions to Tax | Interest | Total Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 07/19/2010 | $95,649 | $2,416 | $1,001 | $99,066 |
| 2010 | 08/29/2011 | 56,567 | 1,791 | 830 | 59,188 |
| 2011 | 03/18/2013 | 89,517 | 17,603 | 2,022 | 109,142 |
| TOTAL | $241,733 | $21,810 | $3,853 | $267,396 |
For each of the 12 years referenced above, the IRS issued petitioner a timely notice and demand for payment, to which he did not respond. The IRS then commenced collection activity. In response to notices of proposed levy and tax lien filing, petitioner requested in June 2010 a CDP equivalent hearing for 2000–2008. During the hearing he initially requested an Installment Agreement (IA). In support of the IA he submitted Form 433–A, Collection Information Statement for Wage Earners and Self-Employed Individuals, which contained materially false statements about his assets and liabilities. The CDP equivalent hearing was resolved on September 15, 2010, when the IRS issued a decision letter.
On October 4, 2010, petitioner submitted an offer-in-compromise (OIC) for tax years 2000–2009, predicating his offer on “doubt as to collectibility.” He failed to supply documentation about his assets and liabilities, as requested by the IRS during its review of the OIC. On March 7, 2011, the IRS rejected his offer. Throughout this period petitioner was secretly diverting money from two corporations for his personal use.
On March 13, 2014, petitioner filed for bankruptcy, which forced the IRS to suspend collection activity. Upon motion by the U.S. trustee, the bankruptcy court dismissed his case on June 2, 2016, finding that he had filed the bankruptcy petition and proceeded during the bankruptcy case in bad faith.
II. Petitioner‘s Criminal Tax Case
On January 13, 2016, DOJ filed a Criminal Information against petitioner in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Information charged one count of violating
On May 2, 2016, on advice of counsel, petitioner pleaded guilty to violation of
On February 3, 2017, the district court entered judgment on petitioner‘s plea and sentenced him to 24 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release. As a separate component of the sentence, the court ordered restitution under
III. The RBAs and the Instant CDP Case
On April 27, 2017, as authorized by
More than five years later, the IRS sent petitioner the levy notice for tax years 2001 through 2011. The liabilities appearing on the levy notice totaled $1,101,788, reflecting the unpaid portion of the aggregate RBA. In response to the levy notice petitioner timely submitted, on October 12, 2022, Form 12153, Request for a Collection Due Process or Equivalent Hearing. He checked the box requesting an IA. In an attachment he requested “verification of assessments for all years,” stated that he was challenging “the tax liabilities, including penalties and
The case was assigned to an SO from Appeals. On April 13, 2023, the SO sent petitioner a letter scheduling a telephone conference for May 24, 2023. During that conference petitioner‘s representative (who serves as his counsel in this case) noted that DOJ had commenced a civil action (described below) against petitioner under On September 23, 2022, DOJ initiated a civil lawsuit under In its memorandum in support of summary judgment DOJ acknowledged that the $1,893,404 judgment it sought was “related” to the $1.2 million of restitution the district court had ordered, because petitioner‘s “criminal conviction [was] based, in part, on his failure to pay the [2000–2011] income tax liability.” But “the existence of a criminal restitution order,” DOJ explained, “does not affect the accrual of interest and [additions to tax] on unpaid federal income taxes.” In DOJ‘s view, those items continued to accrue on petitioner‘s 2000–2011 tax liabilities “in the same manner as they would for any other taxpayer, regardless of the restitution that he was ordered to pay.” DOJ emphasized that it sought “a judgment on [the 2000–2011] income tax assessments, not on any assessment tied to the criminal restitution order.” It agreed that, if petitioner “makes a payment towards the restitution ordered in his criminal case, that amount will be deducted from any judgment in this case to ensure that the government will only collect the unpaid tax liability once.” On September 29, 2023, DOJ and counsel for petitioner reached a settlement of the collection case. Petitioner consented to a “judgment in the amount of $1,893,403.87 as of August 21, 2023, plus statutory In exchange DOJ agreed that “the United States will treat the judgment [of $1,893,403.87] as satisfied . . . and take no further collection action against [petitioner] for his 2000 through 2011 income tax liabilities if [he] pays to the United States a total of $1,600,000 by July 1, 2027,” with monthly payments due according to a specified payment plan. The payment plan required petitioner to make monthly payments of $4,000 in November and December 2023, followed by monthly payments totaling $108,000 per calendar quarter through June 1, 2027, followed by a final payment of $80,000 on July 1, 2027. If petitioner failed to make a payment as called for by the payment plan, “the United States [is] entitled to collect the full judgment [of $1,893,403.87].” On October 2, 2023, the district court entered judgment consistent with the settlement agreement. Petitioner has fully complied with the agreed-upon payment plan, making $4,000 payments each month and additional $96,000 payments on the first day of each calendar quarter, from November 2023 to the present. As of March 2, 2026, he had made payments of almost $1 million toward his 2000–2011 income tax liabilities.2 The SO resumed discussions with petitioner‘s counsel in February 2024, and those discussions continued through October 2024. Although petitioner had stated in his hearing request that he was challenging “the tax liabilities, including penalties and interest” for all years, the SO explained that On May 1, 2025, Appeals sent petitioner a Notice of Determination sustaining the proposed levy. It acknowledged that “DOJ entered into a payment agreement with you” regarding the 2000–2011 tax liabilities. But the Notice asserted that “DOJ did not include the RBA in [its] agreement with the you [sic] because IRS Advisory withdrew the RBAs from the referral to DOJ.” Appeals stated that petitioner “cannot challenge the Restitution assessment per Petitioner timely petitioned this Court for review, contending that “Appeals sustained collection actions that were inconsistent with the resolution reached in the DOJ settlement.” On January 12, 2026, the IRS filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, and petitioner timely responded to the Motion. At the Court‘s direction, respondent filed a Reply to petitioner‘s Response on April 20, 2026. On March 20, 2026, petitioner filed a Motion for Leave to File First Amended Petition, which respondent opposed. In the Motion petitioner sought leave to amend his Petition to include allegations relating to accrual of interest following a COVID–19 disaster declaration under The purpose of summary judgment is to expedite litigation and avoid costly, unnecessary, and time-consuming trials. See FPL Grp., Inc. & Subs. v. Commissioner, 116 T.C. 73, 74 (2001). We may grant summary judgment when the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Rule 121(a)(2); Sundstrand Corp. v. Commissioner, 98 T.C. 518, 520 (1992), aff‘d, 17 F.3d 965 (7th Cir. 1994). In deciding whether to grant summary judgment, we construe factual materials and The IRS followed these procedures here. Following petitioner‘s guilty plea, the IRS assessed the $1.2 million of restitution ordered by the sentencing court, which ruled that “the interest requirement is waived for the restitution.” The IRS accordingly assessed no underpayment interest in connection with the RBA. See Klein v. Commissioner, 149 T.C. 341, 361–62 (2017) (holding that In this CDP case petitioner‘s underlying liability consists of the RBAs the IRS has made. See Klein, 149 T.C. at 349. In deciding whether the SO abused his discretion in sustaining the proposed collection action, we consider whether he (1) properly verified that the requirements of applicable law or administrative procedure were met, (2) considered relevant issues petitioner raised, and (3) considered “whether any proposed collection action balances the need for the efficient collection of taxes with the legitimate concern of [petitioner] that any collection action be no more intrusive than necessary.” Petitioner advances two principal arguments, ramified in various ways. He points out correctly that the RBAs for 2001–2011 are “identical” to petitioner‘s unpaid tax liabilities for 2000–2011, calculated as of February 2017, when the district court accepted his guilty plea. For that reason, he contends that sustaining the levy would lead to “duplicative” taxation and result in “impermissible double punishment” for the same tax loss. On this point we disagree. Although the return-based assessments and the RBAs are distinct liabilities, the IRS cannot collect them both. As DOJ acknowledged to the district court in the collection case, We do agree with petitioner, however, that sustaining the collection action would be inconsistent with the resolution reached in the DOJ settlement executed in September 2023. DOJ thereby agreed that the United States would treat petitioner‘s 2000–2011 tax liabilities as fully satisfied, and that it would “take no further collection action against [him] for [those] liabilities,” if he paid the IRS $1.6 million by July 1, 2027, with monthly payments due according to a specified payment plan. In his Memorandum opposing summary judgment, petitioner represents that he “has remained in continuous compliance with this judicial resolution.” In support of that representation he submitted a Declaration, dated March 19, 2026, attaching evidence that he has made payment of every monthly installment due under the DOJ payment plan from November 1, 2023, through March 2, 2026. In his Reply filed at our direction on April 17, 2026, respondent does not dispute any of these facts. In fact respondent represents that, as of the filing of his Reply, the RBAs for 2001–2005 are “fully paid” by petitioner. As of May 1, 2025, when Appeals upheld the levy, petitioner had made monthly payments of $652,000 toward his 2000–2011 tax liabilities of $1.6 million, reducing those liabilities to $948,000. The SO did not mention these payments. The levy the SO sustained, for $1,101,788, exceeded petitioner‘s then-existing tax liabilities for 2000–2011 by $153,788. With additional monthly payments through March 2, 2026, petitioner has now paid almost $1 million toward his 2000–2011 tax liabilities, reducing to roughly $600,000 the balance due under the DOJ settlement. If we permitted the IRS to collect $1,101,788 via levy, that recovery would exceed petitioner‘s unpaid balance by about $500,000. Most important, perhaps, is the matter of timing. The DOJ settlement permitted petitioner to pay his 2000–2011 tax liabilities in regular monthly installments, with the last payment not due until July 2027. As of May 1, 2025, when Appeals upheld the levy, petitioner‘s monthly payments had reduced his remaining balance for 2000–2011 to $948,000. By sustaining a levy for $1,101,788, the SO would have Echoing the SO, respondent urges that “the RBAs are separate and distinct from [petitioner‘s] civil tax liability.” Petitioner assertedly “faced two separate and distinct liabilities, both of which are enforceable by the Service: (1) personal income tax liabilities arising out of a civil examination and (2) RBAs arising out of a criminal prosecution.” (In fact there was no civil examination; the IRS simply assessed the tax reported by petitioner on his 2000–2011 returns.) The settlement of the collection suit, respondent says, “did not explicitly or implicitly include the RBAs. Only the civil tax liabilities were . . . reduced to judgment and resolved.” We are not persuaded. The restitution ordered by the sentencing court, $1.2 million, was identical in amount, as of February 2017, to petitioner‘s unpaid tax liabilities for 2000–2011, as calculated by the attorneys in the criminal case and accepted by the court. The RBAs were concededly “distinct” from the assessments the IRS made when receiving petitioner‘s 2000–2011 tax returns: The two sets of assessments were made at different times using different procedures. But the RBAs were not separate from petitioner‘s personal income tax liabilities for 2000–2011. They were identical to his personal income tax liabilities for those years, and they simply afforded the IRS a distinct mechanism for collecting those liabilities. The character of the RBAs as a collection mechanism is evident from the fact that any payment petitioner made against the RBAs would be credited toward his personal income tax liabilities for 2000–2011. What makes this case different from previous cases we have considered under We thus conclude that the SO abused his discretion in upholding the proposed levy. At the very least, he failed to consider “whether [the] proposed collection action balances the need for the efficient collection of taxes with the legitimate concern of [petitioner] that any collection action be no more intrusive than necessary.” For these reasons, we will deny respondent‘s Motion for Summary Judgment. Deeming petitioner‘s opposition to that Motion a Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment, we will grant the Cross-Motion and enter decision declining to sustain the collection action. We have considered all the parties’ contentions and arguments that are not discussed herein, and we find them unnecessary to reach, without merit, or irrelevant. To reflect the foregoing, Decision will be entered for petitioner.IV. DOJ Collection Litigation
V. Conclusion of CDP Hearing
VI. Tax Court Proceedings
Discussion
I. Summary Judgment Standard
II. Restitution Background
III. Standard of Review
IV. Analysis