Bookmark This For People Who Claim IRS Agents Have Integrity
An IRS employee who would no doubt nail your hide to the wall over the slightest infraction on your last tax filings pleaded guilty last week in Boston to filing false returns.
But this wasn’t the only example of IRS agents behaving badly.
Also last week, another IRS employee, this one in Indiana, one who no doubt believes that every penny you earn belongs not to you but to the government, pleaded guilty this week to wire fraud.
Bookmark this article for the next time you hear a bureaucrat or a politician brag about the character and integrity of IRS agents.
In the first example, Rakita Davis, 45, of Fort Wayne, Ind., pleaded guilty to wire fraud and will serve 24 months of probation, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
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“Davis falsely claimed gross income for a business that did not exist when she applied for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in 2021,” according to the statement.
“The PPP program provided loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses as part of the CARES Act and for emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Davis, who was employed by the IRS when she applied for the loans, falsely claimed that she was the sole proprietor of a catering business when in reality, no such business existed.”
Davis, the statement went on to say, “received PPP funds which she used for her own benefit on personal items such as jewelry, airfare, luxury car rentals, and vacations.”
In the second example, another IRS agent pleaded guilty to filing false tax returns in order to fraudulently obtain tax refunds and steal Social Security benefits.
This is according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
Kathleen Mannion, 58, pleaded guilty to four counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false tax return and one count of theft of government money.
“From 1998 to 2009, Mannion worked as an IRS contact representative in Andover, Mass. Between approximately July 2020 through April 2023, Mannion prepared and filed income tax returns for other individuals with the IRS. Even though Mannion prepared these returns on behalf of other individuals, she did not list herself as the tax return preparer,” according to the statement.
“Instead, Mannion prepared the returns to appear as if the taxpayers prepared the returns on their own. Further, Mannion listed ineligible dependents on the tax returns, resulting in higher refund amounts for which the taxpayers did not qualify — all without the knowledge of the taxpayers. Mannion also filed forms with the IRS directing that a portion of the fraudulently obtained tax refunds be deposited in her personal bank accounts, which she then used for her personal benefit.”
Separately, between April and October 2020, Mannion applied for Social Security retirement, spouse and widow benefits with the Social Security Administration (SSA) via telephone for other individuals.
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“Unbeknownst to these beneficiaries, Mannion directed SSA to deposit the Social Security benefits in her personal bank accounts, which she also used for her personal benefit,” according to the statement.”
The charge of aiding and assisting the preparation and filing of a false tax return provides for a sentence of up to three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge of theft of government money provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife for proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on X @Real_Warhammer. Read Warhammer’s stories on The Hayride by clicking here.
