Federal Court Refuses to Dismiss Bribery Charges against Former 29 Palms Attorney

Here are the newest materials in United States v. Kovall (C.D. Cal.):

Omnibus Motion to Dismiss Indictment

US Opposition

Omnibus Reply

No order yet, but news coverage here.

IRS Notice on General Welfare Exclusion for Tribal Governments

Here is IRS Notice 2012-75: Application of the General Welfare Exclusion to Indian Tribal Government Programs That Provide Benefits to Tribal Members.

Eleventh Circuit Affirms IRS Authority to Issue Subpoenas of Miccosukee Records

Here is the opinion in Miccosukee Tribe of Indians v. United States.

An excerpt:

This appeal presents three issues: (1) whether the Miccosukee Tribe may assert tribal sovereign immunity to quash summonses issued to third-party financial institutions by the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service to obtain tribal financial records relevant to an ongoing tax investigation; (2) whether the Commissioner issued the summonses for a proper purpose; and (3) whether the Tribe has standing to bring an overbreadth challenge to summonses issued to third parties and, if so, whether the summonses were overbroad. In 2010, the Commissioner issued four summonses to third-party financial institutions to determine whether the Tribe had complied with its federal withholding requirements during the period from 2006 to 2009. The Tribe petitioned to quash the summonses on the grounds of sovereign immunity, improper purpose, relevance, bad faith, and overbreadth. The district court denied those petitions. Because we conclude that tribal sovereign immunity does not bar the issuance of these third-party summonses, the district court did not clearly err when it found that the summonses were issued for a proper purpose, and the Tribe lacks standing to challenge the summonses for overbreadth, we affirm.

Briefs are here.

Lower court materials here.

House Resources Committee Hearing on Per Capita Act and Federal Treatment of Trust Per Capita Distributions

Here:

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable Don Young
Chairman

The Honorable Doc Hastings
Full Committee Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

Christy J. Jacobs
Director, Office of Indian Tribal Governments
Internal Revenue Service
U.S. Department of the Treasury

The Honorable Athena Sanchey Yallup
Executive Secretary
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation

The Honorable Ron Suppah
Vice-Chairman
Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of the
Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

The Honorable John E. Sirois
Chairman
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Eleventh Circuit Briefs in Miccosukee v. United States

Here:

Miccosukee Appellant Brief

USA Brief

Miccosukee Reply

Lower court materials here.

Materials in United States v. David Cypress (Fmr. Seminole Vice Chair)

Here is the news coverage.

Here are the materials:

Cypress Information

Cypress Plea Agreement

Cypress Sentencing Memorandum

Federal Court Denies Miccosukee Petition to Quash IRS Summons for 2010 Tax Year

Here are the materials in Miccosukee Tribe v. United States II (S.D. Fla.):

DCT Order Denying Miccosukee Motion to Quash

US Motion to Dismiss Petition to Quash

Miccosukee Response

US Reply

Transcript of Deposition of IRS Agent

We posted materials on the discovery request to depose the IRS agent here.

Materials on Miccosukee I (tax years 2006-2009, now on appeal to the CA11) are here. The key difference between I and II (other than tax years) is the Tribe’s claim that the government sought the financial documents for an improper purpose.

Yakama Indian Nation Press Release and Materials on Federal Taxation of Tribal Trust Resources

Here:

YN Press Release re IRS Audit of Per Capitas

Media Background Statement

Exec Sec Written Tstmny to Sen Affr Commte re IRS Audit

SCIA Hearing on Tax Burdens on Tribes

Here is the witness list (prepared testimony linked to the witness name):

Witnesses

Panel # 1
The Honorable John Yellow Bird Steele
President
Oglala Sioux Tribe, Pine Ridge, SD

The Honorable Athena Sanchey-Yallup
Secretary of the Tribal Council, Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation
Toppenish, WA

Panel # 2
Mr. Aaron Klein
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy Coordination
U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC

Ms. Christie J. Jacobs
Director
Office of Indian Tribal Governments, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department ofthe Treasury, Washington, DC

Panel # 3
Ms. Lynn Malerba
Chief of Mohegan Tribe
on behalf of the United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc., Nashville, TN

Mr. William Lomax
President
Native American Finance Officers Association, Washington, DC

Gary Kovall Indictment (29 Palms Bribery Case)

Here:

Kovall et al Indictment

We noted the press coverage here.