Michael Reeves
A report that surfaced in “The Insider” this morning has said that one of Swansea City’s co-owners, Jason Levien, has been accused of “cheating on his taxes”.
The report – which can be read in full here goes onto say “Levien lied to New York officials by claiming to live in Florida for years to avoid $2.5 million to $5.2 million in city and state taxes, according to a recently unsealed complaint obtained by Insider. The lawsuit was brought by Christopher Deubert, who until last year was the top lawyer for Levien’s DC United soccer club.
“The case, brought under New York’s False Claims Act, was filed last year under seal. It was recently unsealed after the state attorney general declined to intervene in the case. A whistleblower can keep pursuing a case even if the state passes on it, however, and is entitled to a share of whatever is recovered.
“Levien, born and bred in Manhattan, has maintained his principal residence in Manhattan for nearly all his life, until recently moving to Washington, DC full-time,” the complaint says. It says he made “an estimated $2 million to $4 million” a year.
“The complaint also indicates that Deubert has filed a similar whistleblower case in Washington, DC.
“Deubert alleges that there is “considerable evidence,” including public records and media interviews, that shows Levien has never lived in Florida, and claims that Levien’s accountant told Deubert that “Levien uses his parents’ residence,” a Boca Raton condo, “for tax purposes.””
The report ends by saying that Deubert declined to comment, as did his lawyer, Adam Pollock. Levien didn’t reply to a request for comment.
