Two New Yorkers Among 13 Indicted For IRS Fraud
Posted on Tuesday, 2 of September , 2008 at 4:44 pm
PENSACOLA, FLA.—Two New York residents are among 13 persons charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with conspiracy to impair and impede the Internal Revenue Service and to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud, all as part of a nationwide tax defier movement which promoted the use of offshore trusts and foreign bank accounts as a way of evading federal income taxes.
Two defendants are also charged with evasion of payment of income taxes.
Charged in the grand jury indictment are:
Claudia Constance Hirmer, 49, of Niceville, Fla;
Mark Steven Hirmer, 54, of Niceville, Fla;
Ellen Meredith Stubenhaus, 49, of Lake Worth, Fla;
Dover Euguene Perry, 34, of Renton, Wash.;
Arnold Ray Manansala, 40, of Renton, Wash.;
Michael Guy Leonard, 61, of Troy, NY;
Mark Daniel Leitner, 36, of Fairport, NY;
Arthur Ramirez Merino, 36, of Seattle, Wash.;
Joseph William McPhillips, 42, of Panama;
Eugene Joseph Casternovia, 60, of Ashland, Ore.;
Robert Leighton Pendell, 42, of Ashland, Ore.;
Mark Barry Lyon, 52, of Williams, Ore.;
Jeffrey Jean Jenks, 50, of Eugene, Ore.
The indictment alleges that Mark and Claudia Hirmer operated “Pinnacle Quest International” along with their related companies, “Synergy Productions International, Inc.” and “MCD Productions,” in the Fort Walton Beach, Fla, area, where they sold memberships in their organization ranging in price from $1,350 to $18,750.
The indictment alleges such memberships allowed users to gain access to various presentations, conference calls, DVD’s, CD’s and offshore conferences which Claudia Hirmer organized. It is alleged that PQI contracted with vendors, who gained exclusive access to the PQI membership in order to sell their products promoting anti-tax theories, offshore corporate structures, debt elimination tactics and offshore investment opportunities.
It is further alleged that as part of the organization, PQI encouraged its members to refer clients to authorized vendors with the top selling PQI members being part of its “Executive Council, who included Ellen Stubenhaus, Joe McPhillips, Arnold Manansala, Dover Perry, Michael Leonard, and Arthur Merino.
According to the indictment, “Qualified Consultants” for PQI, who included Mark Leitner, were individuals authorized to sell various levels of memberships. Membership fees would be distributed to the “Qualified Consultants” and “Executive Council” members who recruited the member. The indictment alleges an Ashland, Oregon organization called “SORCE” (Southern Oregon Resource Center Educational Services) was among the vendors PQI used. Controlled by Eugene Casternovia and which employed Mark Lyon and Robert Pendell, the indictment alleges SORCE sold materials and services to create a complex system of offshore entities used to conceal assets.
According to the indictment, the vendors promoting offshore trusts were attempting to illegally exploit the general rule that non-resident aliens are not required to pay income tax on U.S. interest income, U.S. capital gains, or income from the sales of foreign properties or from foreign sources. The indictment alleges vendors did so by attempting to create a structure which gave the appearance that a non-resident alien was the owner of the assets when, in fact, a U.S. citizen was the owner.
Alternatively, the indictment alleges some vendors promoted the use of a warehouse banking program called “MYICIS” which offered anonymous banking services and which would not honor IRS levies. In these ways, the indictment alleges members were misled by PQI’s owners and the “Executive Council” to believe that vendor-offered products would allow them to legally pay no taxes, become free of debt, accumulate wealth, and protect their assets from the U.S. government and creditors.
Several of the charged defendants have been arrested and have appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judges in the jurisdictions of arrest. 9-2-08
PENSACOLA, FLA.—Two New York residents are among 13 persons charged in an indictment unsealed Tuesday with conspiracy to impair and impede the Internal Revenue Service and to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and wire fraud, all as part of a nationwide tax defier movement which promoted the use of offshore trusts and foreign bank accounts as a way of evading federal income taxes.
Two defendants are also charged with evasion of payment of income taxes.
Charged in the grand jury indictment are:
Claudia Constance Hirmer, 49, of Niceville, Fla;
Mark Steven Hirmer, 54, of Niceville, Fla;
Ellen Meredith Stubenhaus, 49, of Lake Worth, Fla;
Dover Euguene Perry, 34, of Renton, Wash.;
Arnold Ray Manansala, 40, of Renton, Wash.;
Michael Guy Leonard, 61, of Troy, NY;
Mark Daniel Leitner, 36, of Fairport, NY;
Arthur Ramirez Merino, 36, of Seattle, Wash.;
Joseph William McPhillips, 42, of Panama;
Eugene Joseph Casternovia, 60, of Ashland, Ore.;
Robert Leighton Pendell, 42, of Ashland, Ore.;
Mark Barry Lyon, 52, of Williams, Ore.;
Jeffrey Jean Jenks, 50, of Eugene, Ore.
The indictment alleges that Mark and Claudia Hirmer operated “Pinnacle Quest International” along with their related companies, “Synergy Productions International, Inc.” and “MCD Productions,” in the Fort Walton Beach, Fla, area, where they sold memberships in their organization ranging in price from $1,350 to $18,750.
The indictment alleges such memberships allowed users to gain access to various presentations, conference calls, DVD’s, CD’s and offshore conferences which Claudia Hirmer organized. It is alleged that PQI contracted with vendors, who gained exclusive access to the PQI membership in order to sell their products promoting anti-tax theories, offshore corporate structures, debt elimination tactics and offshore investment opportunities.
It is further alleged that as part of the organization, PQI encouraged its members to refer clients to authorized vendors with the top selling PQI members being part of its “Executive Council, who included Ellen Stubenhaus, Joe McPhillips, Arnold Manansala, Dover Perry, Michael Leonard, and Arthur Merino.
According to the indictment, “Qualified Consultants” for PQI, who included Mark Leitner, were individuals authorized to sell various levels of memberships. Membership fees would be distributed to the “Qualified Consultants” and “Executive Council” members who recruited the member. The indictment alleges an Ashland, Oregon organization called “SORCE” (Southern Oregon Resource Center Educational Services) was among the vendors PQI used. Controlled by Eugene Casternovia and which employed Mark Lyon and Robert Pendell, the indictment alleges SORCE sold materials and services to create a complex system of offshore entities used to conceal assets.
According to the indictment, the vendors promoting offshore trusts were attempting to illegally exploit the general rule that non-resident aliens are not required to pay income tax on U.S. interest income, U.S. capital gains, or income from the sales of foreign properties or from foreign sources. The indictment alleges vendors did so by attempting to create a structure which gave the appearance that a non-resident alien was the owner of the assets when, in fact, a U.S. citizen was the owner.
Alternatively, the indictment alleges some vendors promoted the use of a warehouse banking program called “MYICIS” which offered anonymous banking services and which would not honor IRS levies. In these ways, the indictment alleges members were misled by PQI’s owners and the “Executive Council” to believe that vendor-offered products would allow them to legally pay no taxes, become free of debt, accumulate wealth, and protect their assets from the U.S. government and creditors.
Several of the charged defendants have been arrested and have appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judges in the jurisdictions of arrest. 9-2-08
Selected reports and commentaries are now available only to subscribers of NCG Daily Digest. To sign up, click on the ad at www.northcountrygazette.org If you wish to pay by check or money order rather than PayPal, please contact us at news@northcountrygazette.org for a mailing address.
Category: Business, Courts, Crime, Florida, Government, Nationwide, New York State, Taxes
- Add this post to
- Del.icio.us -
- Meneame -
- Digg
COPYRIGHT 2007 - NORTH COUNTRY GAZETTE All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the express written permission of the publisher.
