Tax Fraud Scheme Defendants Lose Bid to Upend Guilty Verdict

Prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to support the conviction of two tax attorneys and an insurance agent, whose fraud scheme cost the IRS more than $4 million, a North Carolina federal judge said.

A jury found that Missouri attorneys Michael Kohn and Catherine Chollet, and Northern Carolina insurance broker David Simmons, were guilty of conspiring to defraud the US by promoting to their clients an illegal tax scheme involving inflated business expenses.

The US District Court for the Western District of North Carolina denied their motions for acquittal on Monday.

• The defendants asked Judge Kenneth D. Bell to acquit them of ...