Thursday, September 08, 2016

"Art collector ... Michael Shvo has been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney for tax evasion related to a scheme to avoid sales tax on expensive art purchases." (UPDATED)

Story here.

UPDATE:  More details on the alleged scheme here.  And here:

"The DA said that between 2010 and 2016, Shvo falsely told auction houses that purchases he made would be shipped to an out-of-state address in the Cayman Islands or other foreign countries, thus avoiding sales tax. Instead, they went to his offices and homes in New York state.... Two moving companies, Hedley’s Inc and Bestguy Moving, are also charged with participating in the scheme.They allegedly provided the auction houses and galleries with improper shipping documentation to conceal the delivery destinations. Shvo is even alleged to have fraudulently used New York Resale Certificates, which allow art dealers to purchase items exclusively for resale without paying tax."