🐦 Get ready to drink some beer, buddy.

Also: Michael Saylor's $40M D.C. lawsuit.

Welcome to Just Outside DC — the only newsletter that hits harder than The Cha Cha Slide at a family member’s wedding. SLIDE TO THE LEFT! 🕺

lebron james cavs GIF by NBA

Today’s factoid of the day is: In the 1880s, a baboon operated a railroad signal in South Africa. He was paid in brandy and never made a mistake.

THE BIG IDEA

Michael Saylor settles Washington D.C. fraud lawsuit for $40M.

After almost two years of legal battles, Michael Saylor of MicroStrategy (HQ in Tysons Corner) has agreed to pay $40 million dollars in a tax fraud lawsuit filed by the city of Washington, D.C.

This is the largest recovery for unpaid income taxes in D.C. history.

The lawsuit claimed Saylor said he lived in Virginia and Florida to avoid paying over $25 million in taxes to D.C.

From 2005 until now, the lawsuit says Saylor actually lived in a fancy penthouse on the Georgetown waterfront and kept multiple yachts on the Potomac River.

MicroStrategy employees falsely reported where Saylor lived, according to D.C.'s Attorney General Brian Schwalb.

"Saylor openly bragged about his tax-evasion scheme, encouraging his friends to follow his example and saying anyone who paid D.C. taxes was stupid.”

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb.

However, Saylor says his home has been Miami Beach since 2012.

"Florida remains my home today, and I continue to dispute I was ever a D.C. resident.”

Michael Saylor

A whistleblower first alleged in 2014 that Saylor failed to pay 2005-2020 taxes.

MicroStrategy says it was "not responsible for his day-to-day affairs and did not oversee his taxes."

The company will not pay anything toward the settlement.

In case you didn’t know: MicroStrategy owns more Bitcoin than any other company in the world, with around $15 billion in Bitcoin.

Saylor says he settled to pay the $40M to “avoid the continued burden of the litigation."

Given the current performance of Bitcoin, he’s probably feeling alright about this outcome.

Bulletin Board 📌 

Reader Restaurant Recommendation: One of our readers, George, recommends you guys check out 2941 in Falls Church.

If you want us to give you, your town, and your favorite NoVA restaurant a shout out in the newsletter, just use this fancy little form :) 

QUICK HITS 

  • Virginia-based medical company Contraline hopes to test their male birth control gel called “ADAM” in the USA in 2025.

  • Someone made a Twitch stream with AI versions of Trump and Biden debating each other on stage (fair warning: tons of foul language and hilarious insults on this one)

  • Check out this list of outdoor movie screenings happening this summer.

  • Garry Tan wrote about Y Combinator coming to DC the other day.

  • Someone anonymously donated $50,000 to pay off Fauquier County school lunch debt.

LIVE EVENT LOWDOWN

  • Fairfax Family Festival | the 7th annual family-friendly event returns. Food trucks, moon bounces, and music galore!

  • Tiny Beer Fest | an outdoor event with craft beer and cider, Asian street food, and a dad joke contest!

  • Artisan Market | over 40 local artisans, live music, activities for the kids, and more.

  • Bird Walk | a summer morning bird-watching walk around Potomac National Park.

  • Pints & Punchlines | a free stand-up comedy show at Earp’s Ordinary.

  • Legacy Farms Summer Fest | a delicious picnic, games and crafts, tours, and more.

  • Taste of Springfield 2024 | a festival showcase of local restaurants, food vendors, and more.

  • Old Town Crafts Festival | over 90 vendors, beer and cider, food and sweets, music and art, and most importantly some fun!

  • Beer Olympics | Shipgarten’s summer event full of water gun fights, water balloon tosses, and other splashy games.

  • Shoff Comic Book & Sports Card Show will be at the Annandale Fire House Expo Hall.

@JUSTOUTSIDEDC 📹️ 

Our in-house wildlife photographer Lance captured a video of this deer herd in his back yard. Can you believe it? SIX! 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌

If you’ve got a cool pic or vid from around the DMV area, feel free send it our way via email or Instagram and we’ll put it in the newsletter!

Thank You!

Thanks so much for reading today’s issue of Just Outside D.C.

If you enjoyed this one, consider sharing the newsletter with someone you know.

Was this issue forwarded to you?

Wow, you’ve got some cool friends. You can sign up here btw.

Interested in featuring your business in the newsletter?

What'd you think of today's newsletter?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.