According to the government’s complaint in the civil injunction case, Hicks’ Berryville-based firm helped clients set up purportedly anonymous bank accounts to hide their identities, income and other financial transactions, including deposits, wire transfers and bill payments.

Hicks, who is currently serving a five-year jail term after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud the US, admitted in his criminal case that My Icis helped clients "get out of the traditional banking system and successfully shield their financial transactions from the government, more specifically the IRS, and thereby avoid paying federal income taxes," the Department of Justice said in a statement.  

Between 2003 and 2006 My Icis’ clients deposited some $100 million on its banking system, which had been promoted by Hicks through seminars, online newsletters and the web.

The DoJ has obtained over 465 injunctions against tax fraud promoters and those preparing dishonest tax return over the last decade and the authorities’ show no signs of letting up in their efforts to crack down on those alleged to be involved in tax evasion.

The US, like many other cash-hungry governments around the world, has made tax evasion a top priority as its looks to claw back lost revenues.