Technology

Former Sprint execs Esrey and LeMay sue U.S. over tax shelter probes

Bloomberg News
Former Sprint Corp. executives Bill Esrey and Ronald LeMay say they were unfairly forced out of the company in 2003. They had bought tax shelters that became the subject of a criminal probe.
Former Sprint Corp. executives Bill Esrey and Ronald LeMay say they were unfairly forced out of the company in 2003. They had bought tax shelters that became the subject of a criminal probe. File photo by The Star

Two former Sprint Corp. executives who bought tax shelters from Ernst & Young LLP that were subject to a criminal probe have sued the U.S. government over claims they were unfairly forced to resign from the Overland Park-based company in 2003 as a result of the scandal.

They are seeking almost $160 million in combined damages.

Bill Esrey, the former chairman and CEO, and former president and chief operating officer Ronald T. LeMay said in a complaint filed Friday in a New York City federal court that Ernst & Young “withheld material information” about civil and criminal investigations and that the U.S. IRS also “helped hide information” about the probes from the executives.

Amy Call Well, a spokeswoman for Ernst & Young, had no comment on the complaint. Representatives of the Justice Department didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Former Sprint execs Esrey and LeMay sue U.S. over tax shelter probes."

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