United States v. Kupfer

Defendant-appellant Elizabeth Kupfer and her husband jointly filed federal income taxes for 2004-2006, but failed to report over $790,000 in gross income. The government charged defendant with three counts of tax evasion, one for each tax year. She admitted that she had failed to report a substantial amount of gross income, but denied that her under-reporting was willful. A jury disagreed and found defendant guilty on each of the three counts. Defendant appealed, arguing: (1) the trial court erred in instructing the jury; (2) the trial court erred in denying her request for a mistrial after she alleged a juror commented on other charges against defendant during jury deliberations; and (3) the trial court erred in calculating defendant's sentence. Upon review, the Tenth Circuit concluded that the trial court did miscalculate defendant's sentence. The sentence was vacated and the case remanded for resentencing. The Court affirmed the trial court in all other respects. View "United States v. Kupfer" on Justia Law