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Miserly billionaire Robert Brockman, 79, who is allegedly, ‘behind biggest ever US tax scam’, is faking dementia to avoid trial; Stayed in budget hotels, ate frozen dinners despite being worth $7 billion – Feds

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>Prosecutors say billionaire Robert Brockman&comma; 79&comma; who is being investigated for tax ivasion&comma; is faking dementia to avoid trial &&num;8211&semi; <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>BFormer employees and associates describe Brockman as a &&num;8216&semi;penny-piching&&num;8217&semi; billionaire&comma; as it&&num;8217&semi;s revealed he stayed in budget hotels and ate frozen dinners despite being worth &dollar;7 billion <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>Brockman&comma; 79&comma; was charged in Oct 2020 with hiding about &dollar;2 billion in income from the IRS in a web of offshore entities over a span of 20 years <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>Brockman has pleaded not guilty to 39 counts of tax evasion&comma; wire fraud and money laundering&comma; but he has argued in court documents that he can no longer stand trial because he has dementia <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>Prosecutors&comma; however&comma; believe Brockman may potentially be faking his mental decline <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>He started seeking medical evaluations for his mental health shortly after a 2018 raid on his attorney&&num;8217&semi;s home in Bermuda<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;312b2b"><strong>Brockman also remained the chief executive of Ohio-based Reynolds and Reynolds Co&period;&comma; until his indictement<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;03&sol;Robert-Brockman-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-372759" width&equals;"555" height&equals;"710"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Prosecutors believe Brockman &&num;8211&semi; the chief executive of Ohio-based Reynolds and<&sol;strong> <strong>Reynolds Co &&num;8211&semi; may potentially be faking his mental decline&period; Brockman&&num;8217&semi;s trial currently hinges on a mental competency hearing that is scheduled for June<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">A Texas software mogul accused of being behind the biggest ever US tax scheme is now faking dementia to avoid going on trial&period;<br>Federal prosecutors made this claim as Brockman&&num;8217&semi;s former associates reveal he is penny-pinching billionaire who would stay in budget hotels and eat frozen dinners despite being worth an estimated &dollar;7 billion&period; <br>Prosecutors believe the former CEO of Ohio-based software maker&comma; Reynolds and Reynolds Co&comma; may potentially be faking his mental decline as a dodge from prosecution on vast tax evasion&period;  <br>Robert Brockman&comma; 79&comma; was<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2020&sol;10&sol;16&sol;texas-tech-tycoon-is-charged-with-biggest-tax-evasion-case-in-us-history-robert-brockman-who-hid-2b-in-secret-offshore-accounts-is-charged-with-money-laundering-wire-fraud-and-tax-evasion-aft&sol;"> charged last year <&sol;a>with hiding about &dollar;2 billion in income from the IRS in a web of offshore entities in Bermuda and secret bank accounts over a span of 20 years&period; <br>Brockman&comma; a Houston resident s founder of Ohio-based sofware manufacturer&comma; Reynolds and Reynolds which provides software used by auto dealerships to help manage their business&period; He remained CEO until the indictment&comma; last year&period;<br>In a <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wsj&period;com&sol;articles&sol;houston-software-executive-robert-brockman-charged-with-tax-evasion-11602790834&quest;mod&equals;article&lowbar;inline">class action <&sol;a>suit filed more than 20 years ago&comma; a group of former salesmen for the software entrepreneur sued their old boss&comma; claiming that Robert Brockman had deprived them of commissions by directing a portion of customer payments to a Cayman Islands entity&period;<br>Brockman twice appealed to the Texas Supreme Court as he tried to avoid answering detailed questions about the offshore entity&period; Ultimately he settled the case in 2001 under confidential terms&period;<br>The lawsuit fied by the salesmen opened the pandora&&num;8217&semi;s box leading to a case the government later called the largest criminal case ever brought against a person accused of evading U&period;S&period; taxes&period; <br><br><strong>Related Articles&colon;<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image"><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2020&sol;10&sol;16&sol;texas-tech-tycoon-is-charged-with-biggest-tax-evasion-case-in-us-history-robert-brockman-who-hid-2b-in-secret-offshore-accounts-is-charged-with-money-laundering-wire-fraud-and-tax-evasion-aft&sol;"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;i0&period;wp&period;com&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2020&sol;10&sol;Robert-Brockman-1&period;jpg&quest;resize&equals;174&percnt;2C131&amp&semi;ssl&equals;1" alt&equals;""&sol;><&sol;a><figcaption><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2020&sol;10&sol;16&sol;texas-tech-tycoon-is-charged-with-biggest-tax-evasion-case-in-us-history-robert-brockman-who-hid-2b-in-secret-offshore-accounts-is-charged-with-money-laundering-wire-fraud-and-tax-evasion-aft&sol;">Houston billionaire Robert Brockman&comma; 79&comma; was charged with tax evasion in San Francisco Thursday – Federal prosecutors called Brockman’s scheme the biggest tax &lbrack;&&num;8230&semi;&rsqb;<&sol;a><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Federal prosecutors in October charged Brockman with using a web of offshore entities to conceal about &dollar;2 billion in income from the Internal Revenue Service&period;<br>He has pled not guilty to 39 criminal counts&comma; including tax evasion&comma; wire fraud&comma; money laundering and evidence destruction&comma; mostly from profits he made from his investments through Vista Equity Partners&comma; a private-equity firm he helped launch in 2000&period; Vista currently manages &dollar;73 billion in funds dedicated to software investments&period;<br>Brockman&&num;8217&semi;s trial currently hinges on a mental competency hearing that is scheduled for June&period; He has argued in court documents that he can no longer stand trial because he has dementia&period; <br><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;03&sol;Robert-Brockman-and-his-wife-Dorothy-Brockman-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-372760"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Does ill-health obviate prosecution&colon; Robert Brockman&comma; seen &lbrack;photo&rsqb; with his wife Dorothy Brockman&comma; was charged in 2020 with hiding about &dollar;2 billion in income from the IRS in a web of offshore entities in Bermuda and secret bank accounts over a span of 20 years <&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Authorities had been investigating Brockman over the tax fraud allegations for several years and prosecutors claim he found out about the probe as early as 2016&period; <br>Prosecutors allege that Brockman started seeking medical evaluations for his mental health shortly after a 2018 raid on his attorney&&num;8217&semi;s home in Bermuda&comma; according to court documents obtained by the <a rel&equals;"noreferrer noopener" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;wsj&period;com&sol;articles&sol;the-billionaire-behind-the-biggest-u-s-tax-fraud-case-ever-filed-11614785519&quest;mod&equals;hp&lowbar;lead&lowbar;pos5">Wall Street Journal<&sol;a>&period;<br>A doctor found in March 2019 that Brockman had poor short-term recall&period; Prosecutors claim&comma; however&comma; that Brockman&&num;8217&semi;s doctors have a conflict of interest because they work with the Baylor College of Medicine&comma; of which the billionaire has donated millions of dollars to over the years&period;<br>They also argue that Brockman continued to head his software company during this time despite his alleged mental decline&period; <br>Court documents reveal he took a cognitive test late last year and had difficulties drawing a clock&comma; with a doctor ruling he had &&num;8216&semi;moderate dementia&&num;8217&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;03&sol;Robert-Brockmans-estate-home-in-Houston-Texas-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-372762"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Affluent life style&colon; Brockman&&num;8217&semi;s Houston&comma; TX&comma; estate&period; The tech enterpreneur has pled not guilty to 39 counts of tax evasion&comma; wire fraud and money laundering&period; Feds said he his hidden over<&sol;strong> <strong>&dollar;2billion from the tax man<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The case involving Brockman accuses him of hiding &dollar;2 billion in income from the IRS over two decades using a web of off-shore companies in Bermuda and St&period; Kitts and Nevis&period;<br>The indictment alleges Brockman appointed nominees to manage the off-shore entities for him as a means of hiding his involvement&comma; saying he even went so far as to establish a proprietary encrypted email system and use code words such as &&num;8216&semi;Permit&comma;&&num;8217&semi; &&num;8216&semi;Red fish&&num;8217&semi; and &&num;8216&semi;Snapper&&num;8217&semi; to communicate&period; <br>Brockman who lives in this Houston&comma; Texas mansion&comma; has pled not guilty to 39 counts of tax evasion&comma; wire fraud and money laundering&period;<br>Fellow billionaire Robert Smith&comma; who is the CEO of a private equity firm that aided in the alleged schemes&comma; is cooperating with the investigation after turning against Brockman to avoid prosecution himself&period; <br>Brockman&comma; who has an estimated net worth of &dollar;7 billion&comma; was largely unknown outside of Houston before news of his indictment broke last year&period; <br>The majority of his fortune is believed to be held in a trust in Bermuda that own most of his software company&period; <br>Court documents show the trust has assets worth at least &dollar;7 billion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;03&sol;Robert-Brockmans-209-foot-yacht-1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-372761"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Money trail&colon; Brockman&comma; who has an estimated net worth of &dollar;7 billion&comma; held in trust in Bermuda&period; Prosecutors say the tech CEO owns a Houston mansion worth an estimated &dollar;8 million&comma; an Aspen&comma; Colorado ski cabin&comma; a Bombardier private jet and a a 209-foot yacht<&sol;strong><&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Even though that wealth would likely see him ranked about 50th on the Forbes 400 list of billionaires&comma; Brockman hasn&&num;8217&semi;t ever appeared on the list&period;<br>Prosecutors say he owns a Houston mansion worth an estimated &dollar;8 million&comma; an Aspen&comma; Colorado ski cabin&comma; a Bombardier private jet and a a 209-foot yacht&period; <br>As the case against Brockman continues&comma; his former associates and employees have painted a profile of a miserly billionaire who believed the IRS unfairly went after taxpayers&period; <br>Brockman&comma; who has a reputation for being litigious&comma; would stay at budget hotels and ate frozen dinners on business trips&comma; bought buy used furniture for his offices and banned his employees from smoking so the company could save on health insurance&period; <br>Brockman is the sole investor in the first private-equity fund managed by Vista Equity Partners&comma; a firm founded by billionaire Robert Smith&period;<br>In a plea deal last October&comma; Smith admitted to willfully evading &dollar;43 million in federal taxes from 2005 to 2014 and agreed to cooperate with the continuing investigation&period;<br>Under a settlement reached with the Justice Department&comma; he will pay &dollar;139 million in fines and back taxes but won’t be prosecuted&period;<br><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-large"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2021&sol;03&sol;Robert-Smith-3&period;jpg" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-372771"&sol;><figcaption><strong>Billionaire fund manager Robert Smith&comma; &lbrack;photo L-R&rsqb;&comma; who is the CEO of a private equity firm that aided in the alleged schemes&comma; is cooperating with the investigation after turning against Brockman to avoid prosecution himself<&sol;strong>&period;<&sol;figcaption><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Authorities said Brockman concealed gains he made in Vista’s funds from the Internal Revenue Service&period; Brockman is charged with seven counts of tax evasion&comma; six counts of failing to file reports disclosing foreign bank accounts and numerous other counts including wire fraud&comma; money laundering and evidence tampering&period; <br>The charges state that Brockman&comma; for years directed investments of tens of millions of dollars into Vista’s funds&comma; using secret bank accounts in Bermuda and Switzerland to hide income&comma; but the indictment doesn’t specify how much tax Mr&period; Brockman skipped by hiding offshore the &dollar;2 billion he earned from Vista’s funds&period;<br>He has pleaded not guilty to all charges&period; <br>Prosecutors said Brockman used encrypted emails with code names&comma; including Permit&comma; Snapper&comma; Redfish and Steelhead&comma; to carry out the fraud and ordered evidence to be manipulated or destroyed&period;<br>Prosecutors said Smith&comma; who helped secure the charges against Brockman and famously announced at Morehouse College commencement that he would pay off the college debt of 2019 graduates&comma; accepted responsibility for his own crimes in the tax evasion scheme&period; <br>Brockman and Smith have a business relationship dating back to the late 1990s&comma; according to documents filed in connection with Smith&&num;8217&semi;s non-prosecution agreement&period;  <br>Brockman became an investor in Smith&&num;8217&semi;s private equity fund back in 2000&comma; first with a &dollar;300 million commitment&comma; and later increasing it to &dollar;1 billion&period;<br>As part of his non-prosecution agreement&comma; Smith admitted to using a nominee trustee and corporate manager to hide his control in four off-shore companies&period; <br><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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