PITTSBURGH, Pa. — A 70-year-old Pennsylvania man faces up to a year and half in prison for having more than 40 people cash in lottery tickets worth $520,000 so he could avoid paying federal income tax on the winnings.
Sherman Friend, of McClellandtown, faces a sentence of 12 to 18 months in federal prison when he is sentenced Feb. 15 on the tax evasion charge he pleaded guilty to Friday before U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab in Pittsburgh.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nelson Cohen said Friend won big when he bought 208 50-cent tickets on the number 1127 for the lottery's mid-day Big 4 drawing on Dec. 17, 2009. Each ticket was worth $2,500, so Friend asked more than 20 friends who, in turn, recruited others, to cash the tickets so the tax liability couldn't be traced back to him.
In most instances, Friend paid the ticket-cashers $250, or 10 percent of each ticket's value, Cohen said.
Friend's attorney, John Cupp Jr., declined to comment about how often Friend plays the lottery or whether he was using a system to place his bets.
"I wish I knew," Cupp said.
Friend had previously won a vehicle in a fire department raffle in Maryland in 2007 and became angry when he learned he owed income tax on the vehicle, which he had given to a relative, Cohen said.
"We would submit that as evidence of his knowledge that if you won a lottery or raffle, you have to pay the tax," Cohen told the judge.
So, when Friend hit big on the lottery, he was determined to avoid the taxes.
"He went on to explain that he didn't feel he owed the taxes on these moneys," Cohen told the judge, referring to a statement Friend gave to Internal Revenue Service investigators.
In all, Friend avoided more than $132,000 in federal income taxes by failing to declare his cut of the winnings, which added up to more than $481,000 in 2009 and 2010, the two years in which he had the others cash the tickets. The lottery winnings were Friend's primary source of income in those years.
Cohen told the judge that Friend has agreed to repay the back taxes and that he may be sued by the IRS for penalties and interest, which have yet to be calculated.
mr.friend tried his best efforts NOT to pay taxes and now he is caught he should pay the penalty and serve the law ful time in jail he has earned the jail time
"Friend's attorney, John Cupp Jr., declined to comment about how often Friend plays the lottery or whether he was using a system to place his bets."
Sounds like they not only wanted to punish him and get the unpaid taxes, but someone wanted to get his system too.
i know right.
i probably would have tried the same thing. i have played .50 straights before of cash 4 so that i wouldn't have to pay the taxes if i won i still do. i gotta give it to give him for trying. i don't blame him ,i want all my money too. but i havent went to the extreme as 208 tickets. wow. but if he did have a system. he could have gotten away with it, he just went about it all wrong concentrating on that one number like that. he could have play ten and this number . 50 straight, a couple of days later. ten on that number . 50 straight... and so on and just slowly cash them in with just you and probably 2 other people. he caused to much attention to himself on that number.
Sounds like he didn't try hard enough. He should had set up his system as some kind of investment scheme rather than income, that way he wouldn't have had to pay any more taxes than he paid his friends to cash those tickets for him. I'm sure he could have found some lawyers like Romney used to get his tax rate to 13% or less.
<snip> what a win! Tim Geithner cheated on his taxes and got a job as Sec. Of treasury lol
Wow, i thought taxes is already taken out as soon as you Win
Wow, wish I won more than 500Grand. I'll gladly pay 25% fed tax and keep 375Grand for myself. Better than not winning. Could have sold the strategy and made more money. If there was one. Dropping $104 on one number takes some balls...
Its my guess that this guy is wealthy...... remember when the IRS showed up at Willie Nelsons house??
The rate is 35% and the President wants to make it 45% after the first of the year.
Yeah but thats only on the rich.............. Right????????
It'll come out of your jackpot no matter if you're rich or poor.
Hello Friend, said the cell mate.
your rate is 35%, mine is 25% buddy.
The "current" president.
If you win a jackpot, you will pay 35%, pal.
Unless you cheat on your taxes.
In which case there may be a Cabinet Position for you.
The Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise.
Im putting mine in a Foundation, like Bill Gates does.
Not until you've paid the utmost farthing.
Seeking tax shelters to avoid government confiscation is now unpatriotic according to Obama and Reid.
Ask Romney.
We're supposed to be proud to give the government all they want of what's ours.
And I know you wouldn't want to be unpatriotic.
I don't know where you get your info from. But I ain't from appalachia, pal. Don't be accusing someone without knowing the facts, pal. ...maybe I should tell you to stop smokin and drinking that appalachia mountain funny stuff... pal.
I would buy a book by Ridge.
The fact we have to pay taxes on lottery winnings and gambling winnings in this country is disgusting. We are playing a game that is taxed at upwards of 50% to begin with. This backward type of thinking is why we are 15 trillion in the hole as a country. Instead of incentivizing people to play and to churn more handle it is an absolute money grab at every turn. Let us face it. 99.9% of people lose money gambling whether it be horses, casinos, or lotteries. But the goverment knows that most people are lazy and will not keep track of winnings and losses and will pay up. Just like many lotteries have these crazy bonus areas on scratch off tickets because they know some people will just throw tickets away thinking they lost.
The smarter way to pay less on taxes is to pick up losing tickets at 7-11 or the track and write them off against your winnings if you are every lucky enough to hit a 10000 to one shot so many times like this guy did. One day it might be me because I fire away at 1125 here in Illinois as it is my bday and it has never come up!
No you're from some little hick town of 400 hicks on the MD line.
You wouldn't make it in the Apps, boy.
Run along now, numbnuts, I'm through with ya.
just like I thought. got nothing to do in your little old cabin so start an arguement without any facts and start calling names. take your negativity and shove it like the furry tale rats you eat, old man.
I say buy 208 of them right away....... And don't forget to save your losing tickets for tax purposes.
You are too funny Woody, the base tax rate depends on how much you win.......
Well, thank you, Artist.
I just might commence to writin' one now!
Anything over $388,350. pays 35% tax.
http://taxes.about.com/od/Federal-Income-Taxes/qt/Tax-Rates-For-The-2012-Tax-Year.htm
You started with the names, son.
Remember? You called me buddy so I called you pal. Go look.
So why don't you just blow it out yer @$$, hick boy?
It would be ironic if this guy was one of those people running around saying, "The rich need to pay their fair share."
I'd say there's a good possibility. It's always "someone else" who should pay.