Pubdate: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 Source: Clarion-Ledger, The (MS) Copyright: 2004 The Clarion-Ledger Contact: http://www.clarionledger.com/about/letters.html Website: http://www.clarionledger.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/805 Author: Julie Goodman GOVERNOR WILL DECIDE FATE OF 'AL CAPONE BILL' Legislation that would make it easier for law enforcement officers to nail major drug kingpins with tax evasion charges is on its way to the governor. House Bill 611, dubbed the "Al Capone bill," would allow the creation of a task force consisting of narcotics, attorney general, public safety and tax commission officials to go after drug dealers. Currently, tax records are protected under state law, meaning the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, for instance, can't easily access the records of a suspected drug dealer. But if Gov. Haley Barbour signs the bill, a narcotics officer could refer that suspect to the attorney general's office. If the attorney general's office determines he or she has probably committed tax evasion, the information can be forwarded to the Tax Commission for an investigation. If the commission reports that the suspect has failed to report income, the attorney general's office can then prosecute for tax evasion. And, during the investigation, officials could look for evidence of drug crimes. Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, who crafted the bill, could not say how much the task force would cost but said he believes any additional expenses would be more than covered by tax money seized from drug dealers. "We've got a lot of unreported income out there for drug dealers," he said. "I've done audits of people's financial records, you can't hide from financial records. You've heard this, 'Follow the money?' That's what you do, follow the money." Brown did not know whether other states had similar laws, but said the federal government does. Barbour spokesman Pete Smith would not say whether the governor has taken a stand on the bill. Attorney General Jim Hood said current law allows for a tax evasion charge, but pursuing it can be bureaucratic. Senate Judiciary B Committee Chairman Gray Tollison, D-Oxford, who handled the bill in the Senate, said there are often signs of violations, but law enforcement officers don't necessarily have the tools to go after them. "If they see a lot of money coming in, expensive homes and cars and things of that nature, they can look and see if these particular people are reporting that kind of income and prosecute them under tax invasion," he said. Gangster Al Capone reputedly killed more than 20 people during Prohibition, but he never served time for murder. Treasury agents, however, eventually built a case against him based on tax evasion, and in 1931, a jury convicted him. He was sent to prison for 11 years. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake