A CPA who held licenses in Washington and California has been disbarred, following his conviction of theft for misappropriating funds as the conservator of his daughter's trust account. The action went into effect after an Administrative Law Judge upheld the request of the The judge found that Christensen's conviction for theft, and the revocation of his CPA licenses, constituted disreputable conduct under Circular 230. Christensen had sought to be able to conduct a limited practice as a tax return preparer. He argued that since the conviction resulted from a family matter it had nothing to do with his practice before the IRS.
In issuing the decision, the judge wrote that "Respondent has displayed a lack of integrity, including in his testimony at trial, in attempting to distinguish his professional actions from his 'father-daughter' relationship."
According to new reports at the time, Christiansen, a resident of Vancouver, Wash., pled guilty in August 2010 to stealing $66,400 from his minor daughter's trust fund and his CPA certificate was revoked by the Washington Board of Accoutancy the same month.