Thursday, February 28th, 2019 @ 3:28AM

On September 29, 2016, in a federal district court in the District of Nebraska, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee pled guilty to the theft of Government money. He was indicted for the offense in February 2016. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

According to the court documents, between July 2013 and September 2015, the IRS employee knowingly stole or converted to his own use approximately $15,069.47 from the IRS. He was employed as a Revenue Agent with the IRS in Lincoln, Nebraska. Revenue agents’ duties require them to work away from the office, interviewing people who are being audited and gathering documents or other information. When this happens, they submit a travel voucher and are paid mileage for using their own vehicle. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

Between July 2013 and September 2015, the employee submitted 27 false travel vouchers which claimed mileage reimbursement which had not occurred on 198 days, when in fact the travel had not occurred and he did not meet with the people he claimed to have been meeting with on those days. He admitted submitting the false travel vouchers, and receiving reimbursements totaling $15,069.47. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

Sentencing was scheduled for December 21, 2016. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

In a separate case, on September 28, 2016, in a federal district court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an IRS employee pled guilty to the theft of Government money arising from her certification of false claims for unemployment compensation benefits. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

According to the court documents, the employee stole and knowingly converted to her own use money belonging to the United States, that is unemployment compensation benefits. She had been employed with the IRS since January 1997. She has worked as a seasonal employee for approximately 11 years. As a seasonal employee, she was periodically furloughed when the work volume was low. During those periods, the employee was legally eligible to apply for unemployment compensation benefits. However, she was no longer entitled to those benefits once she was called back to a work status with the IRS. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

Between January 2009 and March 2012, the employee falsely filed for, recertified, and collected unemployment compensation benefits. She primarily filed claims via the Pennsylvania Department of Labor’s telephone Interactive Claims Response System. Through this system, the employee was required to answer a series of questions regarding her work status in order to recertify her eligibility for benefits. She repeatedly falsified answers in order to receive unemployment compensation, falsely certifying that she was not working and was available for work for the week claimed when, in fact, she was employed full-time with the IRS. She falsely collected unemployment benefits for a total amount of approximately $18,164. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

The theft of Government funds carries a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years imprisonment. Sentencing was scheduled for January 10, 2017. https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/oi_highlights_2016.shtml

When IRS employees steal Government funds the IRS fails in its mission to apply the tax law with integrity and fairness to all.

Posted by cfegov
Categories: Theft of Government Property By IRS Employees