Evan Gershkovich and other Americans released from Russian prisons face fines for tax evasion

Released Americans Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva may face problems after returning from Russia due to claims from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), writes Fox Business.

Фото: Depositphotos

Three Americans released from Russia as part of a prisoner exchange on August 1 are returning to normal life in the United States. However, they now face another problem: the fines and IRS fees that have accumulated during their time in Russian prisons.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters on August 4 about the problems with the IRS that Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and Alsou Kurmasheva would face upon returning to the United States.

“Each of these released hostages will receive fines and fees from the IRS,” Schumer said. “Now that they are back home, they will need help.” For a long time, these people did not have the physical ability to fill out declarations and pay taxes on time. We know they didn't cheat on taxes. Now they will need the help of the IRS to sort out this situation.”

On the subject: Russia and the United States conducted a large-scale prisoner exchange: Ilya Yashin, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others were released

According to IRS rules, those who fail to file their taxes on time are penalized 5% of the amount of unpaid taxes for each month they are late. The maximum amount of delay is five months. After this period, the penalty for failure to submit a declaration increases and can reach 25% of the unpaid tax. Penalties are collected until the tax is paid.

Schumer called on the IRS to waive all fines and fees for the three Americans who he said "suffered for so long in the clutches of Vladimir Putin."

“We want to make sure that the IRS penalties and fees that could harm their credit scores and cause stress are completely eliminated,” the New York senator said.

In a statement Aug. 5, the IRS told Fox Digital that the agency is committed to working with affected families.

“The IRS is committed to working with any person who has been taken hostage or unlawfully detained to resolve any tax issues that may arise in these dire situations,” the IRS said in a statement. — Due to federal privacy laws, we cannot comment on specific tax stories. The IRS stands ready to work with victims and their families, as well as Congress, to provide maximum penalty relief and take any appropriate action.”

Schumer said he helped pass bipartisan legislation in the Senate in May and has now urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to pass it quickly.

Johnson's office told Fox Digital on the morning of August 5 that they were reviewing the bill.

Gershkovich, Whelan and Kurmasheva were among 16 people detained in Russia who were exchanged for eight Russians. This is the largest prisoner exchange in post-Soviet history.

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested on March 29, 2023, while reporting on a trip to the Urals city of Yekaterinburg and charged with espionage. The Biden administration has declared him “wrongfully detained,” and The Wall Street Journal and the US government have strongly denied the allegations, calling them absurd.

Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan and a Marine veteran, has been in prison since 2018 on espionage charges that both he and Washington deny.

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Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, was convicted in July of spreading “false information” about the Russian military. Both her family and her employer, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, have denied the allegations.

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