Death of Ed Snyder (10/21/19)

Ed Snyder died October 18, 2019.  His Washington Post obituary is here and Collins Funeral Home obituaray is here.  (Both appear to be the same.)

On his Tax Division service, the obituary says that he served "as an attorney and Section Chief in the Tax Division of the Department of Justice for almost 40 years."

On services:  "Relatives and friends may call at the Church of the Little Flower, 5601 Massachusetts Avenue, Bethesda, MD on Thursday, October 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial at the Church of the Little Flower on Friday, October 25 at 12 noon."

Gil Rothenberg, Chief of DOJ Tax Appellate, is Leaving DOJ (10/5/19)

Bloomberg Tax's Daily Tax Report reports that Gil Rothenberg, Chief of DOJ Tax Appellate, is leaving DOJ effective November 1, 2019.  See Tax Division Appellate Chief at Justice Department Leaving (DTR 10/4/19), here.  The complete report is behind a pay wall, so I do not have access to the report.  As I learn more, I will post it.

Death of Millie Seidman (10/3/19; 10/4/19)

Millie Seidman died today.

Services will be held at 1:30 p.m on Monday, October 7, at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20016.  A reception there will follow.  Donations in her name can be made for the Alzheimers Association.

Addendum 10/5/19 11:00 am:  The WAPO obituary, under the name Mildred Seidman Margolies is here.

DOJ gave Millie the Mary Lawton Lifetime Service Award, when Millie retired in 2005 with the following citation:

Mildred L. Seidman is recognized for her fifty years of unparalleled career accomplishments to the Department. As Chief of the Court of Federal Claims Section, she oversees the litigation of high-stakes, high-dollar tax cases that are extraordinarily complex and challenging and pit the Government against the Nation’s most sophisticated and experienced private counsel. Ms. Seidman has many times saved the United States millions of dollars of tax revenue, through the combination of her intellect and her passion for the law and courage to pursue the Government’s just interests. She has managed and developed less senior attorneys with aplomb. To every area of her responsibility and to every challenge, Ms. Seidman has brought boundless energy, enthusiasm, integrity, and an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the tax laws. Her continuing capacity for work and to assume new and additional responsibilities is an inspiration. Ms. Seidman is recognized in and out of the Government as the embodiment of the highest standards of excellence in public service. She is, to so many who know her, a living legend.

The citation is consistent with my recollection of Millie.  She was a force in the Tax Division.

I will post a link to her obituary when I get it.

Addendum 10/4/19 8:30pm:  I received the following which is from an email sent by DAAG Richard Zuckerman to DOJ Tax personnel:

I am sorry to report the passing of our former colleague, Mildred Seidman, on October 3, 2019. Throughout her 50-year career with the Tax Division, Millie’s intellect, integrity and commitment to the law inspired and educated generations of Tax Division attorneys and administrative professionals, as well as tax practitioners and members of the judiciary.

Millie arrived at the Tax Division on October 17, 1955, and joined what was then known as the Compromise Section, the predecessor to the present Office of Review.  Millie rose to leadership positions in the Compromise Section, becoming its Assistant Chief in 1966 and its Chief in 1974.  Millie served as Chief of the Court of Federal Claims Section from 1985 until her retirement in 2005.Throughout her stellar career, she was a singularly productive and effective force for the fair, equal, and proper application of our nation’s tax laws. Her work as an litigator and a Chief earned her numerous awards, including the John Marshall Award, the Senior Executive Rank Award, and the Mary C. Lawton Award.

Millie’s contributions to the tax community reached beyond the Tax Division.  She served as President of the Court of Federal Claims Bar Association, and remained an active member after her retirement.  In 1998, she was the first recipient of the Golden Eagle Award for “Dedicated and Selfless Commitment to Strengthening the Court as an Institution and Advancing the Cause of Justice.”  Millie was also awarded the prestigious Liles Award by the Federal Bar Association on Taxation.

Services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, October 7, at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St NW, Washington, DC 20016.  A reception there will follow.   Donations in her name can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Steven Grimberg Confirmed as District Judge for N.D. Georgia (9/13/19)

Law.com reports, here, that the Senate confirmed Steven Grimberg for district judge ND GA.  Here is the relevant except:

Before joining Nardello in 2018, Grimberg prosecuted white collar crimes as an assistant U.S. attorney and deputy chief of the Economic Crimes Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Previously, he was a trial attorney in the Department of Justice’s Tax Division. He is an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law, teaching courses on criminal procedure, criminal law and trial advocacy. He received his J.D. from Emory University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Florida, according to the White House news release.

I previously reported the nomination.  Grimberg Nominated to be U.S. District Judge (DOJ Tax Division Alumni 4/4/19), here.

I did not previously have Judge Grimberg in my database, so I don't have the years he served in the Tax Division, the Section(s) in which he served or the positions in which he served.  If anyone has that information, please forward it to me at jack@tjtaxlaw.com.

Death of Bob Watkins (8/12/19)

Robert ("Bob") Stephens Watkins passed was on 7/12/19.  His obituary is here.  The excerpt from the obituary related to the Tax Division is:

Graduating first in his class from American University Law School in 1970, Bob joined the Tax Division through the Attorney General's Honor Program. After several years of outstanding work, Bob was transferred to be a Reviewer in what is now the Court of Federal Claims section. In addition to his supervisory work, Bob handled a series of complicated and important cases involving industry-wide issues common in the major steel companies. In 1985, Bob became an Assistant Chief in Civil Trial Western and in 1995, the Chief of Civil Trial Central. Upon the retirement of Civil Trial Western Chief Jerry Fridkin in 2002,Bob returned to Western Chief of that section. 

During his tenure in the Tax Division, Bob has supervised three trial attorneys who went on to become Civil Trial Section Chiefs.

Other information is in the obituary.

Death of Phil Brennan (8/8/19)

WAPO has the obituary for Philip ("Phil") Brennan, here, reporting that he died on 8/1/19.  Very nice obituary.   The memorial service is Wednesday, Aug 14 at 12:30 p.m. at The Old Presbyterian Meeting House. Other information is in the obituary.

On his DOJ work, the obituary says:

After graduating from Fairfield University (where he played baseball), he attended Georgetown Law School. Dad had a long and very successful career at the Dept. of Justice where he worked in the area of voting rights in the Civil Rights Division under Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and later as a Federal Prosecutor in the Tax Division.

But then on the different side:

Later in life, Dad went back to school and got his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara Ca. Dad started The Ethos Foundation in the mid 70's with the focus on healing families with alcohol and drug addiction. He lived his faith which was to help people heal. Dad was compassionate and an excellent listener. He practiced Clinical Psychology until his 86th birthday. Dad's hobbies were traveling, cooking, watching the Washington Nationals and lying in the sun. Dad always started his day with daily devotions and Bible reading.

Former Tax Division Attorney Pleads to Tax Perjury (6/22/19; 6/22/19)

DOJ Tax announced here that James F. Miller, a former Tax Division attorney, pled guilty to willfully filing a false tax return that "underreported his gross income on his 2010 through 2014 tax returns by approximately $2,215,587."  The plea count was § 7206(1) which is a three year felony.  The announcement indicates that he agreed to pay $735,933 restitution.

According to my database, Mr. Miller served as an attorney in the Tax Division Appellate Section from 1979 to 1983.

Update 6/22/19 10:15am:  Peter Reilly, a frequent and interesting commentator on the tax scene, has posted an entry on Miller's plea and some of the background information.  Peter J. Reilly, Tax Lawyer Turned Lobbyist Pleads Guilty To Leaving Over $2M Off Tax Returns (Forbes 6/22/19), here.   I highly recommend Peter's discussion.  Peter offers links for further information on Miller.

Death of James Dewey O'Brien (6/19/18; 6/24/19)

Dewey O'Brien, known to and loved by many of the "old-timer" DOJ Tax Alumni, died June 18.  I received notice of his death from his son, Daniel O'Brien.  I do not have a link right now to an internet offering with further information, but I post below an obituary sent to me by his son, Dan O'Brien, which  I think will be sent to the Washington Post and perhaps other publications (see the links below).

Mr. O’Brien was born in rural Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Growing up under difficult circumstances after the death of his mother when he was eight-years old and the onset of the Great Depression at age 12, he forged a remarkable career and a reputation as a kind and cheerful optimist.   

After working for the Civilian Conservation Corps, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1938. During the war, he saw action in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific Theaters, most notably the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. He attained the rank of Chief Petty Officer, served on the staff of Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin, and was awarded the Bronze Star after a kamikaze plane struck his ship, the USS Natoma Bay.  

After the war, he attended Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches where he met his future wife, Neoma R. O’Kelley. He obtained his law degree from Louisiana State University.  

Committed to public service, he worked to support orphanages in Louisiana. Assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, he formed a citizens committee that investigated and prosecuted public corruption within the state government and judiciary.   

After an unsuccessful campaign for Congress, he was hired by the U.S. Department of Justice Tax Division in 1953 where he prosecuted criminal tax cases for most of his career. He was appointed Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division during the Ford Administration.   

Upon retirement, Mr. O’Brien gave pro bono legal assistance to many genealogical, patriotic, and hereditary organizations as a national officer, member, or friend, including: Sons of the American Revolution, First Families of Connecticut, the Crown of Charlemagne, and Early Quakers. On April 12, 2014, the National Huguenot Society awarded him the NHS Distinguished Service Medal, one of his prized possessions.
He is the author of two books, “Our Colonial Ancestors,” a genealogical study, and “An American Experience, The First Ninety-Three Years,” an autobiography.  

He is survived by his wife, Neoma, and four children, Terrence C. O’Brien of Venice, California, Kathleen E. O’Brien Lockwood of Reston, Virginia, Michael S. O’Brien of Waldorf, Maryland, and Daniel J. O’Brien of Redondo Beach, California, as well as four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Services will be held June 25 at the Kalas Funeral Home in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Mr. O’Brien will be buried at Cheltenham Veterans Cemetery in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Links for further information are:

• Washington Post Obituary (6/23/19), here.
• Natchitoches Times, here.

JAT Comment:  I'm sure you all can feel the love of the son in the brief obituary.  Dewey had some remarkable experiences in his life that made him the great attorney and friend that he was.  So, I can add to the obituary that my own observation that he was a friend and mentor to those of us who encountered him in the Tax Division.

Jennifer Wilson Nominated to be U.S. District Judge for MD Penn (5/4/19)

Jennifer Wilson, a Tax Division Alum, has been nominated by President Trump to  the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.  The White House release is here.  The release says:

Jennifer Philpott Wilson of Pennsylvania, to serve as Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. 

Jennifer Wilson is a Partner with Philpott Wilson LLP, in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, where her practice includes civil litigation, criminal defense, and family law matters.  Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Wilson served as a Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice’s Tax Division and was an Associate with Chadbourne & Park LLP.  She has been an Adjunct Professor at Penn State University Dickinson School of Law, teaching a course on “Written Advocacy and Judicial Opinions.”  Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Wilson served as a law clerk to Judge Jon P. McCalla of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and to Judge Julio M. Fuentes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Ms. Wilson earned her B.A., cum laude, from Swarthmore College and her J.D., summa cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School, where she served as the Executive Notes and Comments Editor for the Brooklyn Law Review.

Renée McDonald Hutchins Appointed Dean of Law School (4/22/19)

Renée McDonald Hutchins, a DOJ Tax Alumnus, has been appointed Dean of the University of the the David A. Clarke School of Law (University of the District of Columbia Law School).  See press release here.  The relevant excerpt about her DOJ Tax experience is:

Hutchins moved to Washington, D.C., in 1997 to work as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. She served as a trial attorney in the Criminal Enforcement Section of the department’s Tax Division as well as a special assistant in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Her work with the Department of Justice brought her to the attention of Sills Cummis & Gross, where she became a Senior Associate in the firm’s white-collar criminal defense and general civil litigation practice in 2000.