Federal judge acquits 2 attorneys on multiple counts in movie tax-fraud case
A federal judge on Wednesday reversed multiple jury convictions against a prominent New Orleans attorney and a Hollywood movie producer who is also an attorney.
Nearly a dozen counts against attorney Michael Arata were nixed by U.S. District Judge Martin Feldman, who said prosecutors in the case used “mean-spirited hype,” the New Orleans Advocate reports.
And Feldman also nixed five counts against producer Peter Hoffman, but let more than a dozen jury convictions against him stand. Arata is now convicted on only two counts in the case, as is Hoffman’s wife.
The government said the three worked together to get tax credits under the state’s Motion Picture Incentive Act to which they were not entitled.
The Times-Picayune also has a story.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “2 lawyers convicted in scheme to get film-industry tax credits without paying required expenses”
