The Tax Times: Jersey & Swiss Firm Admits to Conspiring with U.S. Taxpayers to Hide Assets Offshore & Turns Over its US Clients

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Jersey & Swiss Firm Admits to Conspiring with U.S. Taxpayers to Hide Assets Offshore & Turns Over its US Clients

According to the DoJ, Strachans SA in Liquidation Pleads Guilty Strachans SA in Liquidation pleaded guilty on October 6, 2020 to conspiring with U.S. taxpayers and others to hide income and assets in offshore entities and bank accounts from the IRS, and was sentenced in accordance with the guilty plea.

According to documents filed in Los Angeles federal court, Strachans was an independent firm providing administration to offshore structures for clients residing in a range of countries, including citizens and residents of the United States (U.S.-based clients).
This included the formation of trusts and offshore companies, administration, bookkeeping, and accounting. Strachans additionally, however, helped U.S.-based clients hide assets from the IRS and evade taxes through the following:

Managing undeclared assets for U.S.-based clients that were held by nominee sham entities belonging to the U.S.-based clients.
Facilitating frequent cash collections by U.S.-based clients knowing that they had no intention of declaring the funds to the IRS.

Providing mechanisms for U.S.-based clients to access their undeclared offshore funds in a secret manner, including fake loans, fake consultancy agreements, and dummy invoicing.

For a limited number of U.S.-based clients, who sought an extraordinary level of confidentiality, holding funds in the personal accounts of Strachans’ shareholders to conceal the true beneficial ownership of funds from the IRS.

Previously Philip Jepson Egglishaw, was involved in Strachans, an accounting partnership which was previously based in Jersey before relocating to Switzerland, had also been wanted by Australian authorities who claim that he set up a US$300 million network of tax avoidance schemes and lured prominent Australians into them for more than three years, including actor Paul Hogan, star of 1980s film Crocodile Dundee, from who Mr Egglishaw stole $34 million which was being held in a Swiss bank account.

Strachans accepted responsibility for its conduct by pleading guilty, stipulating to the accuracy of an extensive Statements of Facts, and paying a fine of $500,000.

The October 6, 2020 guilty plea is the direct result of Strachans’ voluntary disclosure of its criminal conduct in May 2014, and its full and ongoing cooperation with the Department of Justice in connection with its criminal investigations.