January 28,2020

Grassley, Wyden Continue Pressing Syndicated Conservation Easement Promoter

Senators set final deadline for compliance with subpoena

Washington – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are today continuing to press a subject of their bipartisan investigation into syndicated conservation easements transactions, which may have allowed some taxpayers to game the tax code for illegal profit.
 
Following voluntary requests for documents and information, Grassley and Wyden served a subpoena on Robert McCullough of Georgia seeking information and documents related to McCullough’s activity promoting and participating in syndicated conservation easement transactions. McCullough has thus far failed to adequately comply with the subpoena.
 
In the course of ongoing litigation with the Department of Justice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, however, McCullough produced thousands of pages of documents and apparently plans to produce more by February 15. Despite a commitment from his attorney to further provide any relevant documents discovered in the course of that litigation, McCullough has made no additional productions to the Senate Finance Committee.
 
In a final letter seeking compliance with their months-old subpoena, Grassley and Wyden set a deadline for response of February 25. After that deadline, the committee leaders will determine whether to press forward with enforcement through criminal or civil contempt.
 
Full text of the letter from Grassley and Wyden can be found HERE.
 

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