A Greensboro businessman was recently convicted of large-scale tax fraud. The man failed to pay more than $15 million in federal taxes and hid pay from thousands of his employees between 2004 and 2006 and also in 2009.

The man ran temporary staffing businesses under several different names, including U.S.A. Staffing and Compensation Management, Inc., and operated these businesses in nine states. Those companies promised employers they would assume full responsibility for paying the workers' wages and transmitting taxes related to those workers' wages to the IRS.

Instead, the man did not pay the payroll taxes and in some cases even kept payment from the workers. He used fraudulent bank statements to conceal his crimes for as long as he could.

Allegedly, the man used the money he siphoned off these businesses to finance a high-flying lifestyle that included a yacht and work as a movie producer.

The man also did not file his own personal income taxes in 2004, 2005, or 2005.

This man has been convicted of massive offenses, but not every tax issues is this huge or grievous. We all know that taxes are complicated and hard to understand. We also often place our trust in professional tax preparers -- what happens if they dupe us? If you are ever accused of misconduct in connection with filing your taxes, it might not be a bad idea to see if you can find an attorney who has experience handling tax matters. As we said, taxes are complicated and someone who understands them could prove to be a valuable ally.

Source: The U.S. Department of Justice, North Carolina Businessman Guilty of Failing To Pay More Than $15 Million in Payroll Taxes for Temporary Staffing Companies," Dec. 21, 2011