TAMPA, FL. – Over 2,500 criminal investigations, the identification of more than $10 billion from tax fraud and financial crimes, and a nearly 90% conviction rate are just a few highlights from the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report.
The report, released Thursday, details statistics, important partnerships and significant criminal enforcement actions from IRS-CI, the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, for the past fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2020, and ended Sept. 30, 2021.
Locally, the IRS-CI Tampa Field Office, which covers all of Florida except the Miami and Keys area, had a stellar year. The office’s 53 special agents, who work from nine offices across northern, central, and southwestern Florida, initiated 114 criminal investigations, completed 121 investigations, and uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars of unreported income netting in over $100,000,000 in tax due and owing, and millions of dollars laundered through criminal schemes perpetrated in our communities.
Seventy-one individuals were indicted with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in both the Middle and Northern Judicial Districts of Florida.
In one case a Sarasota lawyer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, money laundering, and filing a false income tax return.
The licensed attorney persuaded at least 700 victims to invest more than $72 million in a foreign exchange market fraud. He was ordered to pay a money judgment of more than $3.2 million, which represents the proceeds of the fraud.
In another case, Orlando sisters were sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison and ordered to pay a restitution of more than $25 million for operating a tax preparation business with five locations in central Florida.
The sisters’ business filed over 16,000 false tax returns for their clients from 2012 to 2016.
“These statistics should leave no doubt that our agents work vigorously to ensure tax evaders are uncovered, investigated, and brought to justice every day in communities large and small across Florida,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne.
Check out Tampafp.com for Politics, Tampa Local News, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GoFundMe or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon.