Frank Butselaar, who illegally concealed Tiësto and Afrojack’s earnings, will reportedly argue that the DJ should cover more of the difference.
After pleading guilty last month, Frank Butselaar is required to pay over $19 million of the $28 million owed in back taxes for Tiësto and Afrojack‘s concealed earnings. But the tax lawyer apparently can’t afford the sum, and he plans to ask that the former Dutch superstar DJ help cover more of the total.
To be clear, Tiësto (real name Tijs Verwest) has already paid the nearly $9.5 million asked of him by the US District Attorney “voluntarily.” He also faces no charges of his own as prosecutors say Butselaar offshored the money without his knowledge. According to Business Insider, however, Butselaar’s lawyer, Kerry Lawrence, plans to argue that Verwest ought to be on the hook for more.
“Mr. Butselaar was paid an hourly rate to help his clients,” said Lawrence. “If anyone is held liable to pay taxes on the millions of dollars in income it should be the artists who earned it, not Mr. Butselaar.”
According to the US Department of Justice, Butselaar had “advised the creation” of offshore accounts used to hide the international earnings of Verwest and Afrojack (real name Nick van de Wall), as well as that of fashion models like Patricia van der Vliet and Daria Strokous. The $19,250,845 sum includes the $700,000 he concealed on behalf of van de Wall, who also didn’t know he was doing so.
“Butselaar’s efforts to escape his restitution obligations are unpersuasive, unsupported by law, and contrary to the plea agreement that both he and his lawyers signed,” wrote the prosecutors in a March 3 court filing. They nonetheless agreed to lower the sum to $15.5 million if Butselaar pays quickly and without appeal.
Butselaar’s appeal to the sentence will be heard in his next court appointment on Thursday, March 13.