A Tysons Corner, Virginia, lawyer has gone to prison for refusing to pay his federal tax bills. William M Weisberg was sentenced April 1, 2015, to 12 months and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Weisberg to pay $451,955 in restitution. Weisberg pleaded guilty in December 2014 to three counts of willful failure to pay income taxes.
From 2008 through 2010, Weisberg was a practicing attorney who led tax returns for those years, but failed to pay his taxes for 2008 and 2010, and paid only a portion of his taxes for 2009, according to court documents cited in a government news release.
Authorities said it was not a case of poverty.
During the same period, Weisberg reportedly paid approximately $250,000 to rent a house in Vienna, Virginia, $150,000 for private and parochial school for his two children, $35,000 for maid service, and $130,000 for travel and entertainment.
When the IRS tried to work with Weisberg in 2010 to obtain the money he owed, Weisberg allegedly produced a document showing his law firm was withholding money from his paychecks to give to the IRS, when, in fact, no money was being withheld.
If someone you know is having difficulty keeping up with filing requirements or with paying the taxes due, contact our office for a confidential consultation regarding your options for resolving the problems.