Under U.S. law, tax-evasion charges can be brought against someone within six years after the alleged crime of filing a false tax return. In Hernandez’s case, prosecutors conceivably have until 2016 to consider filing charges on unreported income on returns filed as late as 2010.
Interest income must be reported even if the financial deal later goes awry. While Hernandez ultimately lost money in the shadow-banking scheme, he would not have known that when he entered into the loan agreement with Perez and began receiving interest payments.
Hernandez’s tax returns were attached to the real-estate and financial-interest disclosure forms he filed with the city of Hialeah.