The tax deadline will be here before we know it, and for many of us tax laws can be complicated. People may find themselves owing significant amounts of money to the IRS, without realizing how fast the penalties add up. Darryl Strawberry is in a similar situation with his tax debt problems.

The tax troubles of this famed baseball player are no secret, but it seems like more issues continue to come up to compound his situation. The Internal Revenue Service has now targeted HarperCollins, Strawberry's book publisher, and his first World Championship team, the New York Mets, in an effort to collect on his tax debts.

Some of Strawberry's tax debt and penalties include:

  • He allegedly owes approximately $405,522 in back taxes, penalties and interest for 1989 and 1990.
  • A court case involving the Mets shows unpaid taxes of $53,817 from 2003 and 2004.
  • He was indicted for failing to report money earned on the sale of autographs, baseball memorabilia and personal appearances in 1986 through 1990.
  • He was sentenced to six months home confinement and three years of probation on a single tax charge.

Recently, a lawsuit was filed in Manhattan's federal court by Strawberry's current wife, claiming that the IRS took $50,000 that his book publisher owed to Straw Marketing, LLC for Strawberry's 2009 autobiography. The IRS claimed that the money was being paid through Straw Marketing to Strawberry.

According to the suit, Strawberry's wife, president of Straw Marketing, stated that the book contract was between HarperCollins and Straw Marketing. However, the IRS is using a letter provided by Darryl Strawberry stating that payment for the book could be made to Straw Marketing for his work to argue that the money was paid to Strawberry and thus eligible to be confiscated.

One person's legal issues with the IRS can quickly expand to include other entities. In this situation, Strawberry's wife is not the only other person struggling with IRS issues stemming from Strawberry's situation. His publisher and first World Championship team have also become tangled in the tax troubles.

While most people are not facing such complicated tax law challenges, dealing with accusations by the IRS is always a tricky situation. When the IRS claims that people owe back taxes or are otherwise violating tax laws, the guidance of an experienced tax attorney can make all the difference.

Source: Forbes, "IRS Drafts News Corp. And Mets To Collect Darryl Strawberry's Tax Debts," Janet Novack, Jan. 17, 2012