'Genius' Derivatives Trader Busted For Not So Genius Tax Evasion Scam
Llewllyn Connolly, allegedly 44, is a Harvard Business School alum who's spent the last couple decades working for Wall Street firms including Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and, most recently, Swiss Re, as a managing director. He and his wife, Fay Lin, live in an apartment on Bond Street, which some of you may recognize as a New York address. Problem was, Connolly didn't feel like paying New York City taxes, so he came up with a not terribly inventive way to avoid doing so, which involved claiming he was single and living in London.
It wasn't a very good scam, and state auditors challenged his 2005 and 2006 returns. Feeling ballsy and seriously not wanting to give the government any money, Connolly again claimed to be a bachelor living across the pond for his 2007 returns. He was again challenged and this time put a little effort into creating fake receipts for stays at the Gramercy Hotel. You know, to give the London-residence lie some legitimacy.
Unfortunately, the jig was up! Knowing it was only a matter of time before he was headed dowtown, Connolly pleaded guilty Wednesday two two felonies for dodging a $1 million in taxes. In order to stay out of prison, he has to pay $2.6 million in back taxes and penalties, plus $350,000 in fines and do 300 hours of community services. According to his lawyer, he's "volunteered to tutor former inmates in computer, math and science skills."
