Florida IRS criminal investigators close busy 2024, aim for busier 2025

Despite being a 105-year-old unit within a 162-year-old institution, the IRS criminal investigation unit, on a federal level, is still experiencing firsts. 

According to its fiscal year annual report, the federal agency in the past 12 months had its first sentencings for syndicated conservation easement schemes; the first indictment and guilty plea of a taxpayer for not paying taxes on gains from cryptocurrency sales; and a historic financial settlement by the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange for violating anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.

The unit has also been busy on the west coast of Florida. 

Recently, the IRS-CI Tampa field office put the word out that it’s looking to expand the team by 20 officers to cover the wide swath of territory ranging from Fort Myers to Jacksonville and across the Panhandle to Pensacola. The move to bring in more personnel follows the Tampa office getting a new top cop: Veteran IRS CI official Ron Loecker was named special agent in charge of the Tampa IRS Criminal Investigation office in June.

The hiring effort is to keep pace with the growing population of the region but also the evolving nature of crimes. The cybercrime and forensic services unit monitors the use of the internet, digital payments and computers for crimes ranging from narcotics trafficking to money laundering and develops new processes to keep pace with technological advancements. 

Notable cases the Tampa IRS CI office worked on in 2024 include: 

• Phillip Roy Wasserman, a Sarasota insurance agent and former attorney who called himself the "Annuity King. Wasserman pleaded guilty to tax evasion and, in February, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for scamming millions from elderly victims. He was also ordered to forfeit $6.3 million. Wasserman was convicted by a jury in May 2023 of bilking senior citizens out of millions and using the money to buy a luxury home, Tampa Bay Lightning season tickets, jet skis and assorted other items for himself and his family. He was found guilty of nine counts, ranging from wire fraud to issuing false statements to lying to investors about the state of his company and previous financial problems.
• The owner and manager of Cape Coral-based Nastar Roofing, William Skaggs Jr and Billie Adkison, respectively, pleaded guilty to committing tax fraud in November. The pair, according to a statement, admitted to using cash to pay employees in order to avoid paying federal withholding taxes. The case involved at least $2.48 million in money owed to the IRS. In addition to the possibility of jail time, the pair will have to pay back the employment taxes, including an upfront partial restitution payment of $1 million before they are sentenced.
• Linda Davis, owner of Clearwater-based pavement maintenance company Majestic Seals & Stripes, was was sentenced to four years in federal prison for failing to pay taxes that were withheld from employee’s paychecks. The sentence was handed down in October; Davis had previously pled guilty. Authorities alleged that Davis failed to pay $557,249.62 in payroll taxes between June 2016 and December 2021, Additionally, Davis applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan on behalf of Majestic in February 2021, authorities alleged, As part of the loan application, Davis submitted a false IRS Form. The PPP loan was approved and funded in the amount of $161,800. Davis was ordered to pay $719,049.62 in restitution in addition to the prison time. 

“FY24 was one for the history books," IRS-CI Chief Guy Ficco in a statement, reflecting on the nationwide office. "For years, IRS-CI has been known as the agency that took down Al Capone, but this year, our cases hold their own place in U.S. history. As with Al Capone, financial trails eventually lead to criminals’ downfall. Our agents are the best at following the money trail, and that’s why they have an integral role in bringing down criminals ranging from national security threats to drug traffickers.”