Nicole Elliott joins Holland & Knight in DC (3/11/16)

Nicole Elliott, a DOJ Tax Alum, has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in the Public Policy & Regulation Group in Washington, D.C.  The announcement is here. After leaving DOJ Tax, she served with the IRS as  senior advisor for the Affordable Care Act.

Dana Boente Appointed to AG's Advisory Committee (2/1/16)

DOJ announced here:

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch announced today the appointment of U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC), effective Feb. 1, 2016. 

“Dana Boente embodies the vision and leadership we need to empower our communities and strengthen our nation, and I am pleased to welcome him to the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee,” said Attorney General Lynch.  “Throughout his career – as a Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Tax Division, as a federal prosecutor dedicated to rooting out fraud, and as a U.S. Attorney in Louisiana and Virginia – he has demonstrated his perseverance, his dedication and his wisdom.  I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding addition to the Committee, and I look forward to receiving the benefit of his experience as we continue to work towards a safer, more just future for all Americans.”

Jim Bath's Death on 1/19/16 (2/1/16)

James (Jim) Bath, a long time DOJ Tax administrative employee died on 1/19/16.  HIs obituary is here.  The biography is here.  The guestbook is here.  Visitation and services were last weekend.

Dan Dinan's Death on 12/22/15 (1/3/16)

Daniel James ("Dan") Dinan died on 12/22/15.  The Washington Post Obituary is here, and Murphy Funeral Homes, here.  Excerpts:

He served as a trial attorney with the Tax Division of the Department of Justice from to 1970, and was an Assistant Chief of the Civil Trial Section of the Department of Justice Tax Division from 1970 to 1979. He also taught trial practice and techniques, evidence, and civil procedure at the Attorney General''s Advocacy Institute from 1977 to 1979. He was appointed as a Special Trial Judge on the United States Tax Court on February 4, 1979. He retired from the Court on August 3, 2003.

Memorial Visitation
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Murphy Funeral Home
4510 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22203

Memorial Mass 
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
11 a.m.
St. Ann''s Catholic Church
5300 North 10th Street
Arlington, Virginia 22205.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.

A copy of his Mass Program is here.  (Jim Malone and I traveled from Charlottesville to the Mass and had the good fortune to see a number of alumni there, as well as meet members of Dan's family.)

John Nolet's Death on December 12 (12/15/15)

I received an email this morning from Robert Bruffy DOJ Tax, containing the following from an email to DOJ Tax personnel about the death of John Nolet, a DOJ Tax attorney:

It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of John Nolet’s passing on Saturday, December 12.  John was an attorney in the Appellate Section from 1992 until his death. Described by those who knew him well as a “true gentleman,” John will be missed by his friends and colleagues throughout the Tax Division. His professional and personal generosity, along with his quiet strength, will long be remembered.  Although the funeral will be in Massachusetts, there is a viewing tomorrow at the Stauffer Funeral Home in Mt. Airy, MD.  The obituary link below provides more details.  \\ 

http://www.staufferfuneralhome.com/notices/John-Nolet

The indicated visitation (from the linked site) is:  "The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at Stauffer Funeral Home, 8 E. Ridgeville Boulevard in Mt. Airy, MD."

Tax Division Alumnus in the Tax News (10/27/15)

Yesterday, the Tax Court decided the case of Estate of Redstone v. Commissioner, 145 T.C. 145 T.C. 259, 261 (2015), here.  I post the case here because an alumnus is a player in the drama in the case.  Here is the pertinent quote about his service with the Tax Division:

Sumner [Redstone] graduated from Harvard College in 1944 and Harvard Law School in 1947. He practiced law for several years, including a stint in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, before starting work in 1954 for the family business. 

Many of you will recall the name Sumner Redstone.  His Wikipedia entry is here.

The following footnote also appears in the decision:

   n2  Sumner is the petitioner in a companion case, Redstone v. Commissioner, T.C. Dkt. No. 8097-13 (filed Apr. 10, 2013). That case has not been consolidated with the instant case. While the cases share a common factual background, they present different issues.

Boente Nominated as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (10/11/15)

From the White House announcement, here:

Eastern District of Virginia 

Dana J. Boente has served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia since 2000.  Currently, Boente serves as the Acting United States Attorney, a position he has held since 2013 and from 2008 to 2009, as well as First Assistant United States Attorney, a position he has held since 2007.  While at the United States Attorney’s Office, he served as the Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana from December 2012 to September 2013 and, while on detail, as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice from 2005 to 2007.  From 1984 to 2000, he served as a Trial Attorney in in the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice.  Boente began his legal career as a clerk for the Honorable J. Waldo Ackerman of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois from 1982 to 1984.  He received his J.D. magna cum laude in 1982 from St. Louis University School of Law, and his M.B.A in 1977 and B.S.B.A. cum laude in 1976, both from St. Louis University.

Jerry Parr's Death On October 9 (10/10/15)

Larry Meuwissen sent this item to me on the death of Jerry Parr who was not a DOJ Tax Alum.  In the tax world and DOJ Tax Alum world, we know his wife, Carolyn Parr, retired Tax Court Judge and DOJ Tax Alum.  I normally do not post death notices for relatives of DOJ Tax Alums, but given this relative's prominence, I thought it was appropriate to post this one.

Jerry Parr was the principal Secret Service Agent assisting President Reagan in the shooting incident and making the quick decision to get him to the hospital.  Many credit him with saving President Reagan's life.

The CNN article is here, the NYT article is here, and the Wikipedia entry is here.

Ralph Romano Death on 9/6/15 (9/10/15)

Ralph Romano died on 9/6/15.  Here is an article:  Ralph Romano, 73, retired administrative-law judge (Philly.com 9/9/15), here.

According to my database, Ralph was in Civil - Western and General Litigation.  I don't have the years.

Clare E. Connors Nominated for Federal District Court Slot (9/9/15)

From the White House Release, here:

Clare E. Connors:  Nominee for the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii 

Clare E. Connors has been an attorney at the law firm of Davis Levin Livingston in Honolulu, Hawaii since 2011, where her practice focuses on civil litigation.  From 2004 to 2011, she served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii.  From 2003 to 2004, she served as a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice and also served on detail as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.  Connors began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable David Alan Ezra of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii from 2002 to 2003.  She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2002 and her B.A. cum laude from Yale College in 1996.