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IRS Agent Stole $470,000 from Taxpayers
ATLANTA – Creshika C. Wise, a former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Revenue Agent, has pleaded guilty to a charge of aggravated identity theft after stealing over $470,000 from a pair of taxpayers.
According to U.S. Attorney John Horn, Wise used her position to impersonate a taxpayer in order to steal the funds. Horn stated, "It is outrageous for an IRS employee to use her position to steal a citizen’s identity so she could steal taxpayer funds."
"Citizens count on the honesty and integrity of thousands of IRS employees every day to safeguard their private information, and breaches of this trust will be prosecuted and punished," added Horn.
The scheme began in August 2013, when Wise was assigned to audit the 2011 tax return of two married taxpayers who had significantly underpaid their 2011 federal income tax. Wise and the taxpayers’ accountant agreed that the taxpayers owed $758,846, plus interest, to the IRS. However, Wise came up with a plan to steal most or all of that money.
To carry out her scheme, Wise falsified an IRS Form 4549, "Income Tax Examination Changes" for the taxpayers, dramatically understating the tax due to the IRS and forging the accountant’s signature. Wise then opened up a new checking account in her own name, and emailed the taxpayer from her official IRS email account, asking him to wire the funds to her newly opened bank account.
The taxpayer never wired the funds as requested by Wise, but Wise received the check that had already been mailed to the IRS. She processed the check for credit to the taxpayers’ account, but did not abandon her scheme. Wise knew that when the IRS processed the check, the system would generate a refund check for any excess – here, over $470,000 – and mail it to the taxpayers’ address of record.
In order to intercept the refund check, Wise caused the taxpayers’ address to be changed in the IRS computer system from their correct address to that of her newly opened UPS mailbox. She then impersonated the taxpayers and filled out an online application for a new joint checking account in their names with a local bank. Wise faxed the signature card, which she had created by forging the signatures of the taxpayers.
"As our voluntary system of tax administration relies heavily upon the public’s confidence in a fair tax system, IRS employees must conduct themselves with the highest level of integrity and their conduct must be above reproach," said J. Russell George, Inspector General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). "Our message is loud and clear: the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) will vigorously investigate and recommend criminal prosecution for any IRS employee who violates the public trust."
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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