The mere mention of an IRS audit strikes fear in most people. While audits can be painful, there is one step up from an audit that is down right horrific. Yes, in investigation for a tax crime by the Criminal Investigations unit.
The Criminal Investigations unit at the IRS has a simple sounding task. The group investigates criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS is the only government agency that has the jurisdiction to conduct such investigations. That being said, the agency is often involved in a wide variety of investigations and crimes. How so? It has to do with income.
The tax code serves as a great net to ply the ocean of criminals. Why? The IRS is charged with collecting taxes from any income. It does not matter if the income is derived from legal or illegal resources. If you sell drugs and the DEA shows up a bit to late to catch you, the IRS will likely start an investigation on how you can afford such a nice home and all those cars despite the fact you’ve been unemployed for the last five years. This is, after all, how Al Capone went down. Despite his fierce reputation as a gangster, he was actually convicted of tax fraud.
The Criminal Investigations unit is comprised of roughly 4,400 people. Of this number, approximately 2,800 are field agents and are more readily known as financial investigators. They are trained to “follow the money” even though it is routed through complex financial strategies, dummy corporations and so on. The UBS case in which the Swiss are giving up information on Americans holding secret accounts is one such investigation.
Ultimately, the Criminal Investigations unit is rarely interested in the average taxpayer. The agency is looking to make a splash with high profile prosecutions that will serve as an example of what can happen if you intentionally fudge on your taxes. This is why most cases involve large corporations or high profile individuals like movie stars or race car drivers. That being said, you never know when they’ll be looking for an easy mark, so it is probably best to pay Uncle Sam when the bill comes due.
Thomas Ajava writes for
AttorneyCriminalDallasTexas.com - where you can find a criminal tax attorney in Dallas, Texas.
