According to the criminal information and plea agreement , Lawson willfully omitted from his tax returns income that he had embezzled from an estate that he managed . Lawson was hired in 2002 to co-manage an estate , and his duties included managing the books and records of the estate , collecting on loans made by the estate and determining the estate 's value for tax purposes . In 2005 , the estate received an ex parte court order removing Lawson from his responsibilities as trustee . It was later determined that Lawson had misappropriated at least $ 721,417 in 2002 , 2003 and 2004 , which he also failed to report on his personal tax returns . The estate also paid Lawson an additional $ 297,352 , which he failed to report on his personal tax return .