Frank Butselaar, a Dutch tax consultant with high-profile clients from the DJ and fashion worlds, is facing charges of devising a scheme to conceal over $100 million from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Butselaar was arrested in Italy following a U.S. request and was retaken into custody at the beginning of this month after a successful extradition verdict, according to a statement from Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Butselaar, 63, hailing from Naarden in the Netherlands, allegedly conspired to hide his clients' income worth millions. This includes two internationally famous DJs who reportedly used a collection of offshore entities to hide their income held in trusts, which were established based on Butselaar's advice. The U.S. also claims that Butselaar created similar strategies for several individuals in the fashion industry.

Butselaar's lawyer in the Netherlands, Annabel Vissers, stated that her client believes he adhered to all international tax laws and agreements. Vissers added, "He acted within the legal framework of tax treaties. The initial aim of these structures was to avoid the risk of double taxation."

Although prosecutors did not disclose any of the clients, Butselaar was mentioned in a lawsuit by his former employer, Greenberg Traurig. The firm sought a court order to declare that it is not responsible for reimbursements to Tijs Verwest, a DJ known as Tiesto, for tax payments he made in 2016 and 2017. According to the lawsuit filed by Greenberg Traurig in February 2022 in a federal court in Colorado, Tiesto's Dutch advisors engaged Butselaar around 2008 to guide the DJ on an international tax structure until 2013, when Butselaar left the firm.

The law firm stated that Tiesto threatened to sue them in the Netherlands for malpractice, alleging he overpaid his U.S. taxes due to Butselaar's advice. Greenberg Traurig maintains it is not accountable for Tiesto's tax returns or payment obligations since its representation of him concluded in 2013. In its lawsuit, Greenberg Traurig mentioned that Tiesto agreed to pay over $75,000 to the IRS in 2020 for tax years 2016 and 2017 as part of a settlement agreement for potential U.S. tax liabilities.

IRS Special Agent Thomas Fattorusso, in the prosecutors' statement, characterized the scheme as a long-term plot using sophisticated techniques to perpetuate tax fraud over several years. Butselaar faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and five counts of aiding and abetting the filing of false tax returns. If convicted on the most severe charges, he could face up to five years in prison.

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