Robert Brockman, a billionaire software developer charged in the worst individual tax fraud case in US history, passed away on Friday, August 5. HOUSTON, TEXAS According to various accounts, Brockman died at his home in Houston at the age of 81. .
Brockman, a self-taught software entrepreneur who created a system to allow car dealerships to operate electronically, has been defending himself against more than $2 billion in IRS charges for tax evasion and money laundering since 2020. Prosecutors say that Brockman, who had an estimated personal net worth of $4.7 billion, owned a $20 million home in Houston, a ski lodge in Colorado, a Bombardier jet, and the 209-foot “Turmoil” boat.
Kathy Keneally, Brockman’s lead attorney, who confirmed his death on Saturday, said Brockman suffered from dementia. Although her lawyers had repeatedly argued that she could not stand trial, a judge decided in May that the trial would continue. At a hearing in June, the judge decided to hold the trial in February 2023.
In Florida, where his mother was a physical therapist and his father owned a gas station, Brockman was born. He was the former CEO of Reynolds & Reynolds, an Ohio-based software company that provides solutions to businesses, and had dozens of patents filed. In 1970, Brockman established the first Universal Computer Services, Inc. (UCS) as a service bureau to serve the needs of automobile dealers in need of data processing services. He first worked out of his living room in Houston, where he also learned to program computers. Reynolds and Reynolds were acquired by Universal Computer Systems in August 2006, combining their operations under the Reynolds and Reynolds name.
In a 39-count indictment filed in October 2020, the government accused him of missing $2 billion in taxes, as well as wire fraud, money laundering, and other crimes. He had entered a plea of not guilty. The alleged plot to hide billions of dollars in income from the IRS allegedly lasted for decades, according to the Justice Department.
Brockman is left behind by his wife of 53 years, Dorothy, their son Robert Brockman II, his brother and two grandchildren, according to Bloomberg.