I notice I have lots of company here. I too, was scammed by Roni Deutch. My story runs about the same as everyone here. I contacted Deutch in March 08 after I saw her TV ad. I spoke with Shane Starbuck who assured me completely that they could help me with my back taxes. I owed $15,000 approx. To the Irs for the tax year 2007. Because of the assurances by Shane, I gave my debit card number and immediately lost $1900. I was sent the paperwork and almost immediately I was told that I had a positive cash flow and would have to set up payments with the IRS. Wait a minute, I was supposed to get a Currently not collectible! That's what I paid to have done anyway. After a year of them taking their time with the paperwork I sent in and then demanding I review and return my papers within 7 days (??) I had had it! Absolutely nothing constructive had been done during year I kept on fooling around with them. I did receive IRS notices about paying up and they told me to not respond but to fax them the letters. I sure did not feel comfortable ignoring the IRS but I was following my lawyer's advice. I ran a google check on them in early March and I saw so many others complaining they had been scammed by Deutch. I fired off a letter to them telling them I knew they were scammers, that they hadn't earning a penny of the $1900 I had paid them and that I wanted a refund. I did state that I would not release them as my attorney UNTIL they refunded my $1900. I received a nasty condescending letter from Christian Montgomery telling me that they were no longer representing me and that after tallying all of their time spent on my case I owed them, but as a "courtesy" they would not pursue payment. I paid $1900 for their services but since they dropped me as a client I would not be billed at their regular rate of $300/hr., so my total was now $3045!!! I understand why they won't pursue payment from me, they don't want to end up in court listening to me tell the truth about how I was screwed over by them! This last letter of theirs was dated May 14th. On June 3rd,2 weeks later, I received a letter from the Social Security office. I receive Social Security Disability benefits, so I am on a fixed limited income. My monthly disability check is being garnished by the IRS for about $300 per month to pay the IRS!!! Wow, I could have accomplished all of this myself by doing nothing and had my $1900 extra! I am so angry like the rest of you for being taken advantage of and I am interested in sueing these scammers. I have complained to the Better Business Bureau about them. The BBB notified Montgomery and he sent them the same bull he had sent me. He did lie and say I fired them as my attorney. As far as I am concerned, they should remain my attorney until I am satisfied with the work they should have done. But I know now, that no work by them was ever intended. I also sent a complaint to the Attorney General's office in Sacramento, California. I am not working on a complaint to the State Bar of California. This is terrible that so many of us with tax problems, in an effort to try to settle up with the IRS, turn to a scammer unbeknowest to us. Count me on the Class Action lawsuit.
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