PHILADELPHIA – A Lancaster County business owner has been sentenced to one year in prison for filing false and fraudulent liens against an IRS agent, totaling $15 million. Dorothy Recarde, 68, of Kirkwood, PA, was also ordered to pay a $25,000 fine by United States District Judge Paul S. Diamond.
In December 2019, Recarde pleaded guilty to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue Service. She retaliated against an IRS revenue officer who initiated levy actions on her company’s outstanding tax obligation by filing two fraudulent liens in Chester County.
Court documents reveal that Recarde attempted to justify her actions by mailing notarized letters espousing sovereign citizen ideology, a movement that denies government authority, including the power to impose taxes. She falsely claimed that her correspondence to IRS officials and the United States Treasury had gone unanswered, nullifying her debts.
U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain condemned the sovereign citizen movement as nonsense and emphasized that using it as an excuse to harass or retaliate against IRS agents will result in jail time. “And if you use it as an excuse to harass and retaliate against an IRS agent, you’re going to jail,” said McSwain.
J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, echoed the sentiment, stating that attempts to intimidate or retaliate against IRS employees will not be tolerated. “We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this investigation,” he said.
The case was investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank R. Costello, Jr.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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