In an era of budget constraints, California's government and the Internal Revenue Service are trying to get every tax dollar that they can. As a result, state and federal authorities are devoting an ever-increasing amount of law enforcement resources to tax fraud investigations.

Like other white collar charges, tax fraud charges often carry the possibility of long prison sentences and hefty fines. Both the rich and poor can commit tax fraud. However, when a rich and famous person is accused of tax fraud, the amount of money involved can be very high and law enforcement authorities may be tempted to seek a stiffer punishment to serve as a deterrent for other people. In addition, the severity of a person's tax fraud sentence can be influenced by the amount of money involved.