Clients are THE WORST.
INSIDE Public Accounting Top 300 firm BST & Co. of New York (#278, revenue of $16,244,850) has finally had enough of 79-year-old Rudy Giuliani allegedly dodging their bill and is now suing him for $25,000 in Albany state Supreme Court. See: Lawsuit says Rudy Giuliani stiffed Colonie accounting firm out of $10K published today by Times Union.
According to various outlets, the former mayor of New York City retained BST in 2018 for financial consulting related to his divorce from third wife Judith Giuliani (Nathan). The divorce was a contentious one as divorces so often are, we don’t need to get into the salacious details.
According to the lawsuit, the firm sent multiple friendly reminders over the past five years, all of which were ignored by “America’s Mayor.” The language BST used in their attempt to collect the debt was pure poetry: “It is not our desire to undertake such a distasteful course of action and we have been patient to this point, but your continued disregard of your obligation to this firm can no longer be tolerated,” said the firm in its second demand letter. “We thank you in advance for your immediate attention to this matter.”
Wrote Daily Beast, partners’ billable rates were between $410 and $575, senior managers $335 to $400, managers and senior analysts at $185 to $275. The firm also billed for “other department staff” at $100 to $180.
One detailed invoice from BST shows how three accountants and one fraud examiner at the firm combed through Giuliani’s finances beginning in November 2019, together racking up 42 hours of work over a few weeks while they reviewed a year’s worth of American Express bills, examined 15-year-old tax returns, and scrutinized the assets he had shortly after leaving the mayor’s office. That invoice showed that Giuliani was already behind by $36,125, and the additional work jacked up the total bill to $50,833.
Rudy Giuliani Dragged Into Court Again Over a Measly $10K, Daily Beast, November 21, 2023
In September the IRS placed a lien on Giuliani’s Palm Beach, Florida penthouse over the $549,435.26 in federal taxes they say he owes for 2021 though his spokesperson claims there’s a conspiracy related to his drama with President Biden. “Mayor Giuliani is suing Joe Biden for defamation, and I get asked about a potential tax issue. You just can’t make this stuff up,” said spokesman Ted Goodman in a statement. “Giuliani, through his accountant, has a formal agreement with the IRS to pay off the liability.”
Hopefully that is a different accountant.
And then there’s this:
A biographer of Rudy Giuliani said the former New York mayor’s many legal woes and profligate spending have left him “penniless”
On Tuesday, Giuliani’s former lawyer and longtime friend Robert Costello sued him over alleged unpaid legal fees totaling $1.36 million stemming from various cases. The ex-mayor is currently under indictment in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state in favor of Donald Trump. Giuliani is also awaiting a civil trial in which a jury will decide how much he has to pay two election workers he defamed.
“Biographer Says Giuliani Is ‘Penniless’ After Legal Fees and Spending $250,000 a Month On ‘Fun’,” Mediaite, September 19, 2023
Sorry, BST, looks like you’re going to have to get in line.
