August 13, 09

NEWS / Federal Court Permanently Enjoins Founder of the Global Prosperity Tax Scheme

Daniel Andersen Organized Scheme That Lured in Over 44,000 Customers and Earned Over $50 Million
WASHINGTON – A federal court in Seattle has permanently barred Daniel Andersen from promoting fraudulent tax schemes, the Justice Department announced today. Documents the government filed on August 11 requested that the court enjoin Andersen, arguing that he was a founding member of the Institute for Global Prosperity, an entity that promoted both its own fraudulent tax scheme and the fraudulent tax schemes of others.

According to papers filed with the court, Andersen and David Struckman founded Global Prosperity in 1996, and Lorenzo Lamantia joined their scheme as "founder" in 1998. By 2002, Global Prosperity had sold its products to over 44,000 customers and had earned over $50 million in the process. Global Prosperity charged customers $1,250 for a 12-part audio course containing multiple erroneous theories about federal income taxes, which the government described as "nonsense."

The government’s request that the court enjoin Andersen explains that Andersen is currently in federal prison in Lompoc, Calif., in connection with his promotion of the Global Prosperity scheme. The court papers explain that other tax fraud vendors sold their schemes at conferences Global Prosperity organized, and that many of these vendors have been sentenced to prison for federal tax crimes, including Johnny "Liberty" Van Hove, Keith Anderson, and Dennis Poseley. Global Prosperity charged as much as $37,000 to attend such conferences.

John DiCicco, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, thanked Tax Division trial attorney Robert Fay and IRS Revenue Agents Terry Martin and Cynthia Zambito for their efforts in obtaining the injunction.

Since 2001, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against more than 410 tax fraud promoters and unscrupulous tax preparers

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/August/09-tax-793.html

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