Interviewer: Have you ever seen if there is a particular kind of theft that people are mostly unaware of, what would you say it is? Do people unintentionally take stuff ?

Brian Geno: The first crime that a lot of people, like the first crime that an alien, an illegal alien or a resident, a new foreigner comes to this country, the first crime they commit is tax fraud because they think that by understating their income or overstating their expenses is just a clever way to reduce their taxes. They don’t see that it is considered theft. That is one that is, I am told, the most common one. It is not only the first crime that a lot of foreigners make, but it is also a common one that regular people make as well where they try to cheat on their taxes. The government is watching.

Eighteen to Twenty Three Percent of People Have Reported US Adjusted Net-Income Incorrectly

There have been studies that have shown that, for example, in 2009 there were three hundred and ninety thousand to five hundred and thirty seven, excuse me three hundred and ninety to five hundred and thirty seven billion dollars in taxes which were uncollected simply because people cheated on their tax returns. I think that’s, from my perspective, the largest amount of theft that people don’t consider a crime that actually is. It is 18 to 23% of people have reported US adjusted net income that is incorrect. It is almost 20% of Americans are doing it.

Tax Evasion is a Felony Charge Found Under Title 26 of the US Code

Interviewer: What kind of felonies could I be facing in that situation?

Brian Geno: That one is called tax evasion. It is found under Title 26 of the US Code. It carries a maximum possible jail sentence of five years and a monetary fine of a hundred thousand dollars. Five hundred thousand dollars if it is a cooperation that is doing it. It is a severe penalty, but that is the maximum. People would not usually get the maximum. They would typically get something way less than that. No one wants to get punished at all. A typical sentence for tax evasion would be one count, six months in jail and then whatever amount of tax money all together had been stolen.

Automobile Theft Generally Happens in the Form of Carjacking Which is a Felony Offense

Interviewer: Are you seeing a lot of auto theft these days? I know times are a little bit different, but is that still something that people are still doing.

Brian Geno: No, I don’t see that very much. There are plenty of them. They’ll happen in the context of a carjacking. That sort of thing. It is a felony and because carjacking involves taking property from a person it is considered robbery. Those people can do some serious jail time. If you just go out and you go to a car that is unattended, you break in to it and you hot-wire it and you take off with it, that happens, but I don’t see it a lot in my practice. I am told that the auto thieves like to take cars, not brand new ones so much, but a little bit older. Like Honda Accords, Toyota, the common sedans. They sell them for parts so their car may be stolen but their car will be stripped within just a matter of hours. It is because the parts are much more valuable than the car all together. I am told that it happens. I just don’t see it in my practice that much.