Giving a New Meaning to 'Tax Holiday'

Weird tax-dodging story of the day:

A [76-year-old] philanthropist best known for selling millions of dollars worth of musical instruments at a discount to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has fled to Cuba to avoid tax fraud charges, authorities said Wednesday.

A federal judge issued an arrest warrant for animal publishing tycoon Herbert Axelrod after he failed to show up for an arraignment on charges that he hid income from the Internal Revenue Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Guadagno said Axelrod's yacht was docked in Cuba and that the multimillionaire was staying at the Marina Hemingway, a four-star resort in Havana.

Comments

[zorel]

this guy should cool his heels outside the US until Hillary Clinton gets into the white house; then he can 'donate' a couple of millions to her 'presidential library' and get a pardon.

[Jennifer]

Or he can make Dick Cheney a vice-president of his company and beat the charges now.

[dj of raleigh]

The above two posts, the first fits history,
and the second stretches it, but keeps it balanced,
fair and balanced, that is.

[Jimmy Antley]

I've got nothing but admiration for this dude. Make a plan and stick to it. It sounds like he's had the deal worked out long ago, from the article.

Much as I despise Fidel and his 50-yr old "ongoing revolution", I'd rather deal with his fat-ass face to face (oops, that doesn't sound like I meant it to sound) than any IRS bureaucrat. Even the word of a communist fool dictator would probably hold more weight than that of a US Gov't IRS agent.

Who wants to bet me the IRS will bill that New Jersey Orchestra (they play off of exit 103 near the bada-bing club) for taxes on the difference in values of the 30 fiddles as gift income?

[Douglas Fletcher]

What the hell is animal publishing?

[Jojo]

Been to the Marina Hemmingway as well...and definitely no 4 star place. They tried to get us to pay them 100USD for an introduction to and meeting with 'Gregorio', apparently one of Hemmingway's (or as they say in Cuba, Papa) old, really old fishing buddies....

[D Anghelone]

Puffing Axelrod.

Axelrod Institute of Ichthyology.

Animal publishing.

Swiss banks

[garym]

I'll applaud anyone who flees from taxes; but why Cuba?

[Shannon Love]

Douglas Fletcher,

"What the hell is animal publishing"

Perhaps he was a pioneer in this technology.

[zorel]

jennifer,

any examples (of Dick Cheney helping tax frauds beat the charges)? (Or woould that be too much to ask)

[Mickey M.]

SL
I think there`s a V-chip in my printer `cause I
can`t print "the ear of a mouse".

[tom wright]

I believe his company is the one that owns 'Tropical Fish Hobbyist': http://www.tfhmagazine.com/ ,
the corporate website is: http://www.tfh.com/ .
The site is rather short on specific info as to what it publishes other than TFH magazine.
They also market Nylabone. I am pretty sure that is a pet-related product, not an 'adult' toy.

And yes, I am one of those people that had lots of aquariums as a kid, AKA: LOSER. I still have one aquarium in the living room.

Tom

[vini_vidi_vici]

zorel,

Any examples of Hilary Clinton helping tax frauds beat the charges or is the fact that she sleeps with someone who may have done so good enough for you?

I'll start researching Cheney's sexual history now, it shouldn't be too difficult (though Lynne sounds like a fan of some hot monkey lovin').

Nice to see you picking sides in two obvious distortions (which I think was jennifer's point)

[vini_vidi_vici]

Oops, didn't realize zorel penned the original distortion. I guess it is enough for him.

I'll send zorel some watermelons for target practice by way of apology...

[Matt Welch]

Douglas -- Exactly what I was wondering. Also, I've been to Marina Hemingway, and I don't remember a "four-star resort," I remember ... a marina. (Albeit one with armed guards to keep the Cubans out.)