What is Fort Lauderdale’s Roger Stone trying to hide?

For 15 years, the IRS has been dunning ex-President Donald Trump’s political confidant and Stone’s wife, Nydia, for failing to pay assessed income taxes, penalties and interest for the years 2007-2011 and 2018 that now total a whopping $1,997,398.60.

In April 2021, the government finally sued to collect after Stone held them off for years by offering but not actually paying. And Roger’s been dodging ever since, offering vague answers to inquiries and failing to hand over financial records sought by the government, arguing the Justice Department already had that information from his accountant.

Justice’s tax division, of course, subpoenaed and obtained the accountant’s records. That they want to get their hands on Stone’s records, too, strongly suggests they think Stone provided false information to the accountant. If so, that would be a felony.

Court papers indicate that Stone’s attitude changed abruptly two weeks ago, three days after Fort Lauderdale U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz II ordered he and his wife to fork over various documents and better answers to government interrogatories. That’s when the Stones’ lawyer, Brian R. Harris of Tampa, announced that the “Stone Defendants” had submitted a settlement offer that, “if accepted, will resolve all claims and issues in this case.”