Former IRS Agent Charged with Conflict of Interest and Disclosing Return Information Including Whistleblower Name (9/27/12)

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Former IRS Official With Violating Conflict Of Interest Laws And Illegally Disclosing Whistleblower’s Identity (USAO SDNY Press Release 9/27/12), here.

Here is a cut and paste of the described conduct and charges:

From June 2010 until August 2011, LERNER worked as an International Examiner in the New York office of the IRS. For several months leading up to his resignation from the IRS, one of LERNER’s chief responsibilities involved conducting an audit of an international bank (“Bank 1”) related to approximately $1 billion in allegedly unreported income. This audit was triggered by confidential whistleblower information LERNER reviewed during the course of his IRS employment. Shortly before his resignation, LERNER led negotiations on behalf of the IRS which resulted in a proposed $210 million settlement between Bank 1 and the IRS. The settlement was still pending final approval at the time of his departure. Unbeknownst to his colleagues and supervisors, LERNER applied and interviewed for the position of Tax Director at Bank 1 during the time period in which he was representing the IRS in the Bank 1 settlement discussions. He also sent multiple emails to an individual in which he expressed both his dissatisfaction with his job at the IRS and his hope that he would secure the Bank 1 job. At no time did he notify the IRS of his efforts to obtain employment with Bank 1. 

After LERNER announced his resignation from the IRS, he received written notification of certain restrictions imposed on former IRS employees regarding improper contacts with current IRS officials. However, when the IRS sent Bank 1 additional inquiries regarding the audit after he began working as Tax Director in September 2011, LERNER subsequently placed numerous phone calls to IRS employees and initiated meetings with them regarding the continuing audit. LERNER persisted with attempts to encourage IRS employees to provide information regarding the audit, and to approve the settlement between the IRS and Bank 1, despite warnings that he should not be participating in the audit or settlement discussions.
LERNER also engaged in improper disclosure of IRS tax return information during the time period that he worked as an IRS International Examiner. Specifically, LERNER divulged the identity of a whistleblower who had provided the IRS with confidential information regarding Bank 1 that had triggered the audit to someone not employed by the IRS, and provided details regarding pending IRS audits of other companies to individuals who were not employed by the IRS.

*                      *                      * 

LERNER, 59, of Edgewater, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of violating federal conflict of interest laws and two counts of disclosing confidential IRS information to individuals who were not IRS employees, including disclosure of the identity of an IRS whistleblower.

I don't know the counts of conflict of interest but will add them later.  The counts of disclosing return information are apparently under 26 USC § 7213 - Unauthorized disclosure of information, here, a five year felony count.

A Reuters article identified the bank as German-based Commerzbank AG.  Ex-IRS examiner charged with naming whistleblower -prosecutor (Reuters 9/27/12), here.

I will add more on this as I learn more.

Note:  I am posting this blog entry on this blog and on my Federal Tax Procedure Blog.  I will make the blog entries conform as I add information, however, the Federal Tax Procedure Blog may have comments from readers not appearing here.  The Federal Tax Procedure Blog entry is Former IRS Agent Charged with Conflict of Interest and Disclosing Return Information Including Whistleblower Name (9/27/12), here.