Episode 6: The Con Artist Television Taxman of San Diego: How One Man Duped the Public and Betrayed His Clients Part I

Tax Crime Junkies

Today’s episode reveals the true crime tale of J. Douglass Jennings, a real life knock off version of Better Call Saul. This con artist television taxman of San Diego managed to completely fool the public as he betrayed his clients’ trust through embezzlement, professional negligence, tax fraud, and malpractice. He attracted potential clients through a faith based pitch while lying about and strongly exaggerating his credentials and capabilities. In spite of having been sued more than 15 times, found guilty in court on 10 charges of misconduct, and legally disbarred from practicing law, J. Douglass continued to run his tax consultancy business.

Talking Points

• TV & Radio Tax Attorney Frauds Local Folks
• “Faith-Based” Taxman uses Real-Estate to scheme clients
• Bankruptcy, multiple appeals, and hiding assets
• How not to become like Uncle Doug

Quotes

• “J. Douglass Jennings, the attorney who will enter business transactions that will be harmful to your career, livelihood, and mental well-being." (19:37-19:46 | Dom)
• “Life moves pretty fast, is the saying. And in the tax industry, in particular, we're dealing with these deadlines, and we don't always have the time to properly document that communication. And it may not be in the budget to do so. To really sit and document what's discussed verbally in a meeting, or what's been communicated to you that we rely on for reporting and other things. And that really is the key. And so I would encourage listeners, if you feel like you cannot afford financially to take that much time in terms of documenting those communications, again, it's in your own best interest to do so, because it's always somebody else's word against yours. And the person who's able to prove it wins.” (32:15-33:08 | Dom)