Chapter 225 The Strongest Legal Affairs Department on the Surface
In the seats below, a host of stars who had been invited scrambled to their feet to leave, but suddenly, a large group of people burst in from the doors, leaving everyone utterly confused.
At that moment, from amidst the crowd, Bucky stepped onto the stage and, under the astonished gazes of all, said, "Sorry to take a moment of your time, but we are from the IRS, and our Director David has something to say. Please, everyone, wait just a bit longer!"
"What, the IRS?"
"This is the Oscars ceremony, what does the IRS have to say here?"
"What's this situation? Shouldn't the IRS be focused on their tax collection instead of meddling in our Oscars ceremony?"
The venue erupted in a commotion, leaving all the stars bewildered.
Beyond them, both the media, and the audience watching the broadcast were just as shocked; no one knew what the IRS intended to do.
Lost in thought, Director David descended from the second floor and approached the stage, and the media instantly snapped back to attention, focusing their spotlights on him.
"I thought the highlight of today was going to be the Oscar lead actors, but it turns out I was wrong. The real highlight is Director David!"
"This just got interesting. What kind of storm is Director David going to stir up this time?"
"Who knows, but it's definitely going to be a good show!"
In light of Director David's recent deeds—toppling the Rodrigozki Group and defeating a human rights fighter—quite a few viewers perked up at the sight of him stepping onto the stage.
"It's already late, and I'm very sorry to delay everyone, but there's no helping it. Duty calls, so please bear with us!"
Upon hearing this, the host Regina King, with a look of confusion, asked, "Director David, may I ask... what 'duty' are you referring to?"
"Of course, it's about auditing taxes."
"Auditing taxes?"
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The actors and media reporters on-site were even more stunned.
Today was the Oscars ceremony; why conduct a tax audit here?
Ignoring everyone's thoughts, David's gaze scanned the many stars below, finally resting on Uncle Wolf, to whom he said, "Mr. Hugh Jackman, the IRS now suspects you are involved in a tax evasion case, and we would like to ask you to come back with us for further investigation!"
"What, me?"
Uncle Wolf pointed incredulously at himself.
Meanwhile, a wave of shock swept through both the audience on-site and those watching on TV.
Now they finally understood what David meant by auditing taxes; apparently, Hollywood stars were suspected of tax evasion, and the IRS had come to arrest someone today.
"That's right, Mr. Jackman."
At Director David's confirmation, two inspectors from the Western Suburb Branch approached Jackman, assuming a posture ready to apprehend him.
Before the crowd could even react, David shifted his gaze to another actress and said, "Ms. Angelina Jolie, I'm sorry, but you too are implicated in tax evasion, and I need to take you back as well!"
"What, Ms. Julie implicated in tax evasion too?"
"Impossible, Ms. Julie always seems so honorable, how could she be implicated in a tax evasion case?"
"I find it hard to believe too, how could Ms. Julie be evading taxes!"
Angelina Jolie, undoubtedly one of Hollywood's top actresses and having served as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador for over a decade, traveling across global refugee camps, had built a high reputation and countless fans worldwide.
Upon hearing the IRS allege she was suspected of tax evasion, her fans in front of their television screens immediately erupted in outrage.
At the Oscars, a close friend of Julie's couldn't stand it anymore and bellowed, "Director David, are you mistaken? How could Ms. Julie, such a prominent figure, deliberately evade taxes?"
"Heh."
David laughed dismissively and responded, "Does being prominent mean one can't evade taxes? Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, Charlie Chaplin, Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr.—aren't they all prominent figures too? And haven't they all had histories of tax evasion or unpaid taxes?"
Charles Laughton, Judy Garland, and Charlie Chaplin were still manageable since they were celebs of the last century, no longer among the living.
But Nicolas Cage and Robert Downey Jr. were not only alive but also present at the event, and upon hearing their names mentioned by David, they felt as if on the edge of thorns.
The former had undeclared taxes from 2002 to 2004 and fell into a financial crisis around 2008, failing to pay a substantial amount in taxes. When the IRS investigated, they found nearly 14 million US dollars in unpaid taxes, forcing Cage to sell properties to settle his tax debt and avoid imprisonment.
As for the latter, Robert Downey Jr. had an overdue tax debt of over two million US dollars in his early years, which he only settled after the IRS enforced payment.
These two were relatively fortunate; Wesley Snipes, who starred in Blade, was not so lucky.
Not only had he failed to report his taxes from 1999 to 2004, but in the previous two years, he had even audaciously applied for an unlawful tax refund of 12 million US dollars. The IRS caught him red-handed, resulting in not only a hefty penalty for tax evasion but also a sentence of three years in prison.
Upon hearing David bring up these big names with a history of tax evasion, whether it was Julie's friend or others at the event, all were left speechless.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om