Los Angeles, CA—In a legal bombshell that reads more like a Hollywood thriller than a courtroom drama, Kelley Ann Lynch, former personal manager of music legend Leonard Cohen, is filing a damning declaration and federal complaint alleging a sweeping cover-up of tax fraud, legal manipulation, and outright corruption orchestrated by LAPD, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, and Cohen’s estate representatives.
Kelley Lynch and Phil Spector: According to Lynch, these powerful institutions did not just ignore Cohen’s alleged financial and tax misconduct—they actively worked to criminalize her efforts to report the fraud to federal agencies, turning a routine IRS tax request and communications with federal authorities into a high-profile legal attack designed to silence her. Even more astonishing? The City Attorney and LAPD deliberately inserted Phil Spector into the proceedings at a highly strategic moment, just as Spector was appealing his murder conviction and his former prosecutor, Alan Jackson, was making a bid for District Attorney.
A Legal Hit Job? How LAPD and the City Attorney Sabotaged IRS Investigations: The most shocking revelation? The Complaint alleges that LAPD’s Threat Management Unit (TMU) and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office built their case almost entirely around IRS and federal tax matters, painting her legitimate tax document requests and communications, primarily with federal authorities, as "harassment" rather than the legal obligation they were.
"Instead of pursuing the massive financial fraud at the heart of this case," Lynch’s complaint states, "the City Attorney and LAPD worked overtime to block my ability to obtain IRS-required tax forms and used a fraudulent restraining order to prevent me from contacting Cohen’s estate representatives, Robert Kory and Michelle Rice."
According to the filing, the LAPD TMU—normally assigned to handle celebrity stalking cases—was weaponized to frame her as a threat, despite the fact that her only crime was asking for legally mandated tax forms.
The lawsuit further alleges that the City Attorney knew about the IRS fraud and the fact that IRS Criminal Division opened an investigation but chose to attack Lynch instead, with prosecutors falsely claiming in court that her tax concerns were a "ruse" while failing to disclose evidence that Cohen had, in fact, failed to file required corporate and partnership tax returns, with respect to entities Lynch has an ownership interest in, since 2003. And what was LAPD’s response to these accusations? Threats of arrest if she ever contacted Cohen or Cohen’s estate again for tax forms.
A $48 Million Black Hole in Cohen’s Estate? Among the most damning financial allegations in Lynch’s declaration is that Cohen’s estate failed to report at least $48 million in intellectual property assets—including unreleased songs, manuscripts, and photography—all of which should have been subject to federal estate tax.
Instead, the lawsuit claims, estate trustee Robert Kory and others manipulated tax filings to obscure these assets, ensuring that Cohen’s estate paid far less than it owed.
And if that wasn’t enough? The declaration also accuses Cohen’s longtime accountant, Michael Mesnick, of deliberately advising the estate NOT to file corporate tax returns or amend Cohen's federal estate tax returns (reporting the IP asset valuations), ensuring that substantial taxable income would go unreported.
Lynch’s allegations could lead to massive IRS penalties and possible criminal charges for those involved in the estate’s financial management.
Phil Spector, Alan Jackson, and the City Attorney’s “Dirty Trick” - But the corruption didn’t stop at tax fraud, according to Lynch. In a truly bizarre twist, she claims the City Attorney deliberately inserted Phil Spector into the case—despite the fact that he had nothing to do with the tax disputes at the heart of the legal proceedings. Why? According to Lynch, this was a deliberate smear tactic, intended to discredit her in the public eye while ensuring that Cohen’s contradictory, embellished stories about Spector holding a gun on him remained buried.
This wasn’t just coincidence. It all followed renowned playwright and filmmaker David Mamet’s explosive 2011 statement to the Financial Times that “Phil Spector was railroaded”—a statement that shook the legal and entertainment world. Mamet wasn’t just talking—he had announced plans for a movie about Spector, a move that threatened to reignite interest in the questionable nature of the prosecution against the music producer.
And then, as Alan Jackson, Spector’s lead prosecutor, was running for District Attorney, suddenly Lynch—who had been in communication with Spector’s legal team—was targeted.
Leonard Cohen, a man who had told Lynch for 20 years that his Phil Spector gun story was nothing more than a "good rock ‘n roll story" that had been highly embellished, took the stand in her legal proceedings, providing a command performance for Los Angeles prosecutors and law enforcement.
The City Attorney needed a way to frame Lynch as a menace, and what better way than to invoke Spector, the convicted music producer who was still fighting for his life in the courts?
Prosecutor’s Alleged Lies & Courtroom Cover-Up: And then there’s Deputy City Attorney Sandra Jo Streeter, the lead prosecutor accused of knowingly making false statements to convict Lynch. According to the court filing, Streeter falsely claimed that Lynch had already received all the tax documents she was requesting, a claim blatantly contradicted by Cohen’s own lawyers.
Additionally, the complaint alleges:
• Streeter suppressed key IRS evidence, including proof that Cohen’s corporate tax filings were fraudulent.
• An IRS special agent was blocked from testifying, preventing jurors from hearing that Cohen’s estate was actively under federal investigation.
• The prosecutor mocked Lynch’s knowledge of tax forms , despite the fact that she had been advised by a former IRS Criminal Division agent to request the tax documents.
The Lawsuit That Could Bring Down the House of Cards: Lynch’s complaint demands injunctive and declaratory relief, an immediate release of all withheld tax documents, and an IRS investigation into Cohen’s estate. But the legal and financial fallout could be far greater as this case could lead to:
✅ Federal tax fraud charges against Cohen’s estate representatives
✅ A DOJ investigation into LAPD and the City Attorney for obstruction of tax enforcement
✅ Massive financial penalties for Cohen’s estate, heirs and legal team
The City Attorney’s Office and Cohen’s estate representatives remain silent. But with a legal storm brewing, an IRS whistleblower complaint in motion, and mounting pressure for a federal inquiry, this scandal is far from over.
One thing is clear: this could be one of the biggest celebrity estate fraud cases in history.
Disclaimer: The article and accompanying illustrations present Kelley Lynch as a "haute couture Buddhist" hipster character in an imaginative and stylized portrayal. This depiction reflects an artistic and surreal interpretation inspired by the complex legal disputes and public narratives that followed her split from Leonard Cohen. The choice to portray Lynch adorned in jewels and sophisticated attire references Cohen's statements after their parting, where he attributed her alleged “downfall” to extravagant spending on items like jewelry, shoes, and haute couture—a narrative Lynch firmly disputes. The artistic representation, while not intended as a literal portrayal, emphasizes the intensity and multifaceted nature of her legal claims, offering a metaphorical view into the high-stakes drama of her experience. This stylized depiction serves to underscore the layers of conflict, public perception, and personal resilience inherent in her story.
Copyright © 2024 Kelley Lynch. Unauthorized reproduction of this article or artwork is strictly prohibited.
Leonard Cohen, McGill
