Thanks, But No Thanks
Bradley Birkenfeld single-handedly made the U.S. government's case against UBS and forced the Swiss bank to hand over the names of more than 4,000 alleged tax cheats. But he's still going to jail.
The awesomely-named William Zloch, a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., told Birkenfeld he's not getting out of the 40-month sentence he got for helping UBS clients skirt their taxes. And so, barring a change of heart or judge, Bradley Birkenfeld will be reporting to some sort of federal prison on Friday, despite his patriotic and totally not self-serving assistance to his government, which is $780 million richer as a result.
Birkenfeld sought a belated Christmas present, telling Zloch that he was "ready, willing and able" to spill more dirt on UBS and the people who pay it to avoid paying taxes.
Prosecutors were a little less sanguine about how helpful Birkenfeld was, despite admitting that they basically had no case against UBS without Birkenfeld's cooperation. They insisted on the clink, arguing that Birkenfeld was less forthcoming than he was taking credit for.
U.S. Judge Won't Reconsider Jail Sentence For UBS Informant [WSJ]