Maybe he's in some sort of tax shelter?

June 18, 2009 3:04 PM

Help me find out what happened to my accountant!! A little sleuthing help, please....

Early April of 2008, I called my tax guy to get everything set up for my '07 taxes. A week went by and I hadn't heard from him, but I figured he was up to his eyeballs in last minute tax prep for people like me. I called back a few days before the 15th to see if we were going to file an extension, and his answering machine was maxed out, and unable to take new messages. Needless to say, I went ahead and filed the extension myself.

It's been a year and a half. I haven't heard from him. His number was disconnected. His website is still up, but hasn't been updated since 2005. This guy was very nice and friendly and has done my taxes since 1995. I have a new tax guy now, but I'd really like to find out what happened to him. His first name was Robert, and if it's really necessary, I'll put his last name up as well, but would rather withhold it for the time being out of respect for his privacy.

My question is - how do I find him? I've done numerous searches. Brings up his website (with no working phone number to use) and a LinkedIn profile. I'm not a detective, but if something happened to him, I'd like to know. How do I go about getting that information?

posted by Spyder's Game to grab bag (25 comments total)

You can check the Social Security Death Index to see whether he's still alive.
posted by phoenixy at 3:08 PM on June 18 [1 favorite has favorites]

Have you tried calling your local newspaper and asking them? If he bilked a bunch of people, then they might have reported on it (depends on the size of your town), or if he died unexpectedly, they might also have that.

Alternatively, I would suggest calling the professional organization that he would have belonged to (Was he a CPA or something? I have no idea what the accreditation process is like for tax people).
posted by Lemurrhea at 3:09 PM on June 18

You could try a Zabasearch to try to find a home number.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 3:17 PM on June 18

Holy Sh*t....Just yesterday, I was going to post an almost exact similar thread....My accountant who I have used for 8 years (started showing weird signs last year)....This year, I sent him my stuff In February, and the last time I heard from him was on April 15th. I called, wrote, and even went to his home to no avail. I am currently reorganizing my papers to give to a new CPA to get my 2008 taxes taken care of...I'm based out of NY, and the acct's name is Joe Tr**** (gonna protect him a bit for now)...I have no idea what happened to him either.
posted by TwilightKid at 3:21 PM on June 18

Interesting. Phoenixy - tried the Social Security database with nothing to go on but first and last name and state of residence. Came up with 21 matches, none of which were him. He would be mid-late 30's, possibly early 40s, but all the matches that came up had birthdates before 1950, which is definitely not him.

His business was in Los Angeles, and I am assuming he lived within a 50 mile radius of that. Ish. He had a partner in the business, but a google on HIS name isn't turning anything up either.

Lemurrea - since it's LA, it would be difficult to find a paper that would've done a story on him. The LA times would be a likely start, but it's a pretty big paper, and I sort of doubt that they would have done a story on him. I also doubt that he would have done anything dishonest. I don't discount the possibility of it happening, but it's not likely, as he wasn't really that kind of guy. At least as far as I could tell.

Checking Zabasearch now!
posted by Spyder's Game at 3:23 PM on June 18

Zabasearch comes up with "197 Free Listings!," many of which could be him...I'm just not dedicated to this search enough to call them all. It would be a lot easier if I had a middle initial for him, which I don't. His website doesn't indicate anything.

Twilight Kid - Holy Sh*t is right! That's pretty weird. I feel fortunate that I didn't end up sending my stuff out like you did! Sorry you have to go thru all that. Hopefully this thread helps you find your lost accountant too.
posted by Spyder's Game at 3:29 PM on June 18

You could try looking him up on the California Board of Accountancy website. You can look up his license here.
posted by gatorae at 3:30 PM on June 18

At this point, I don't care so much about finding him as much as I do collecting on all the penalties and interest I may be paying because of his disappearence. The biggest headache is getting all of the year end statements from my banks, mortgage, retirement, etc...And all the receipts for my business that I use for deductions....Other than that, good riddance.....Very odd though...Bet wishes to you as well.
posted by TwilightKid at 3:32 PM on June 18

Zabasearch comes up with "197 Free Listings!,"
Did you limit the search by state and city?
posted by bottlebrushtree at 3:40 PM on June 18

TwilightKid... if you don't mind, would you memail me the name of the accountant you're trying to find? This rings a lot of bells re: my boyfriend's accountant (in L.A.), who just seemed to disappear a year or two ago as well (though I seem to think his acct. may have been a little older). I'll ask him if it's the same guy.
posted by scody at 3:42 PM on June 18

Memail sent!
posted by TwilightKid at 3:46 PM on June 18

Ok, now we are on to something! Bottlebrushtree's Zabasearch suggestion made me wonder if I could track him down with Whitepages.com. Bingo! Still only his business number, but I now have a middle initial. Robert E.

Gatorae - The license search came up with nothing. Could be that his license is already expired?
posted by Spyder's Game at 3:46 PM on June 18

Still no luck here, even with the middle initial. Zabasearch refuses to give me a phone number for a likely address in Long Beach - keeps booting me to a pay site. Any other suggestions?
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:09 PM on June 18

Did a Whitepages.com reverse search on that address. If he DID live there, he no longer does.
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:12 PM on June 18

As far as I can tell, he's not dead either, according to the Social Security Death Index.
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:42 PM on June 18

Have you tried finding him with the
California Society of CPA's?
posted by naplesyellow at 5:17 PM on June 18

Note that not everyone who has died is in SSDI. they have to have a social security number, for one, and they have to have claimed the Soc. Sec. Death Benefit, which some people don't even know exists so may not have done that.

There is a free obituary search online here. It doesn't give links, it just lists the paper and the date and you would have to go to the individual paper's website to find the actual obit.

The other idea might be jail or prison? Don't know if there are any reputable prison searches online.
posted by sarahnade at 5:25 PM on June 18

The license search came up with nothing. Could be that his license is already expired?

Even if his license is expired, he should still appear on the website. You're sure he was certified in California?
posted by jabberjaw at 5:54 PM on June 18

I'm not in the US, so this may not work, but if he's an accountant, does he not run a company? If he does, could you check via Companies House (or whatever the US does in analog)?
posted by pompomtom at 8:44 PM on June 18

Spyder's Game: just asked the boyfriend, and it's a different disappearing accountant. Sorry I can't help solve the mystery!
posted by scody at 8:53 PM on June 18

As strange as this may sound, have you asked the IRS? When discussing your situation and asking them to waive the interest (Ha!) and penalties (maybe) you will need to explain your reason why. At that time ask if they can help you locate him.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 9:36 PM on June 18

Hey naplesyellow - tried California Society of CPA's website six ways from Sunday. No luck. Not even a blip on the radar.

Sarahnade - tried the obit search and it found plenty of people with that name, just none of them were him. Wrong state sometimes, but mostly wrong age. Also, I tried to see if he is now an imate (good suggestion!) using this article as a guide (for those who need to check on the status of their own vanishing accountant) http://www.ehow.com/how_2033961_locate-someone-incarcerated.html

But still no luck.

Jabberjaw - if he wasn't licensed in CA, I have no idea where he would've been licensed. His business was here, and he practiced here for at least ten years, so wouldn't he have to be licensed here? Either way, the site didn't find any matches when I set it to "Out of State."

Pompomtom - I have his website, and his business address. I'm pretty sure it's not there anymore. What kind of info does Companies House have? Not familiar with it.

Scody - ANOTHER vanished accountant? This is an epidemic people!!!

Please keep your suggestions coming, everyone. I'd really like to find out what happened. Also, before people lose interest in my question completely, is it unethical/unwise/mean of me to post his full name and see if someone else can track him down? I'll do it if it won't cause his family or him any harm. Let me know what you think!
posted by Spyder's Game at 11:25 AM on June 19

Have you checked the whois information his his website? He may have registered it using a different email, phone or address.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 7:50 PM on June 19

Wow, a close friend just went through an similar ordeal with a CPA who "flipped out" and wouldn't return documents. Emails, calls, registered letters, begging, pleading... all went unheeded. My buddy got an extension and is having to piece together his self-employed records. Not fun, but it does happen often enough that state boards, on a regular basis, discipline accountants that "disappear" like that.

In California, there are disciplinary implications for a CPA that doesn't respond to client inquiries and return documents. List of Enforcement Actions for California Board of Accountancy's (CBA) Licensees. Here is a random example of discipline for a failing to file a 2005 return after filing returns for almost 15 years for that client. However, if you couldn't find records of your guy as a licensed CPA, then there wouldn't be records of any discipline.

It would be smart hire a competent CPA to give you advice on this. Talk to half dozen CPA's, on the phone, about what happened and the likelihood of the IRS minimizing any penalties/interest on the unpaid taxes. Pick the one that explains the process most coherently.

Focus on resolving the issue and getting a new professional to minimize the penalties rather than hoping to get recompense from the disappeared accountant. Likely to be a better a use of your time.
posted by SantosLHalper at 8:46 PM on June 19

Bottlebrushtree - checked the whois information, and gleaned a new email address which has not yet been bounced back to me as inactive. All the rest of the information was business address, phone (same disconnected number) and fax.

SantosLHalper - Still no record of him on that site. Makes me wonder though, if I can go back into past tax records and pull up his license number or something?? Also, don't worry about me, I found a great tax guy that dealt with all that stuff, and charged me $50 less than the guy who disappeared.

I am still wondering if I should put up his website/full name, etc. to see if someone with better detective skills than I (or access to Lexis/Nexus) can track him down. What do you think MeFites?!?
posted by Spyder's Game at 4:21 PM on June 22 [1 favorite has favorites]