For the holidays, we serve up an encore presentation of a Talking Tax podcast that shows cross-border tax fraud has been around a long time.

When researchers studied a previously mislabeled scroll, they discovered detailed attorney notes for a case against taxpayers accused of using forged documents and sham transactions between the Roman provinces of Judaea and Arabia to escape taxes on their assets. The assets in question were enslaved people. The potential punishments included distinctly unmodern measures.

Anna Dolganov of the Austrian Academy of Sciences talked with reporter Caleb Harshberger about how scholars made the discovery, details of the scheme, and what they’re hoping to uncover next as they continue their research.

Do you have feedback on this episode of Talking Tax? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.