LOS ANGELES : Lawyer Sentenced for Failing to Pay Taxes on $3.3 Million
A lawyer has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for failing to pay taxes on $3.3 million that he used illegally to pay people who referred accident victims to his firm.
Warren Finn, already serving five years in state prison for fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, pleaded guilty to filing false income taxes in 1988 and 1989, according to Assistant U.S. Atty Alka Sagar.
Finn, 57, was also ordered to settle with the Internal Revenue Service, although Sagar said that is unlikely because Finn is broke. He was sentenced Monday.
Finn and his law partner, Alan Shapiro, pleaded guilty to failing to report to the IRS the money they received from insurance companies to settle personal injury claims. Sagar said the partners deposited $6.6 million in a secret bank account and used those funds to pay millions of dollars in referral fees to “cappers” who brought them clients.
Two weeks ago, Shapiro was sentenced to two years in prison on federal tax violations charges.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
