Tiësto and Afrojack’s Former Tax Lawyer Pleads Guilty to Fraud

Frank Butselaar concocted a scheme to hide the international earnings of Tiësto, Afrojack and other high-profile clients in offshore accounts, per the DOJ.

Frank Butselaar, a tax lawyer whose clientele once included famous EDM DJs like Tiësto and Afrojack, has pleaded guilty to the filing of a false tax return in a New York district court, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

A press release issued by the DOJ recounts how Butselaar “advised the creation” of offshore accounts for the aforementioned artists as well as fashion models like Patricia van der Vliet and Daria Strokous. Butselaar’s admission confirms for the legal record that he helped Afrojack (real name Nick van de Wall) conceal what he earned in other countries from authorities while Butselaar was a shareholder of the Amsterdam branch of a US law firm.

In the case of Tiësto (real name Tijs Verwest), Butselaar allegedly omitted “substantial sums” from his US tax returns from 2012-2017, and he did the same for van de Wall in 2013. Altogether, the sums omitted on behalf of the two artists topped $70 million. The press release notes that neither of them knew that “anything of substance had changed” as the funds exchanged hands, usually to family members.

This isn’t the first time the earnings of famous electronic musicians have been hidden in offshore accounts. In 2021, Swedish House Mafia were named in the Pandora Papers, which also accused the money managers of artists like Shakira and Elton John of going to similar lengths to evade tax laws.

“Today’s guilty plea, which comes after a rigorous investigation, demonstrates that this Office will stop at nothing to ensure that tax professionals who decide to cheat and lie are held to account for their misconduct,” said US Attorney Damian Williams, per the release.