IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office

#WhatWeDoCounts It’s more than a hashtag for IRS Criminal Investigation. We couldn’t be prouder of our IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office special agents who were recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their outstanding investigative work in cases running the gambit from tax evasion to long-running ponzi schemes. Congratulations to all! #FollowTheMoney

Thugs end up on our radar, too. Today, IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher participated in a press conference alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and LAPD to announce Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges against Eugene Henley, AKA "Big U", a longtime fixture in the Los Angeles gang scene. Additionally, Henley ran a non-profit - Developing Options - purportedly to help ask-risk youth avoid a life of crime, yet he is accused of #embezzling money from Developing Options to his own bank account. "The RICO charges against Mr. Henley and his associates reflect a pattern of crimes that runs the gambit from extortion, robbery, murder to tax evasion and human trafficking, all under the umbrella of a well-organized criminal organization led by Mr. Henley.? ? Additionally, Mr. Henley duped the County of Los Angeles by running a non-profit named Developing Options, a charitable organization that promoted anti-gang solutions, yet Mr. Henley continued to personally orchestrate violent gang activities that impact our communities. . Donors trust their donations will be applied as intended, in this case for the benefit of at-risk youth intending to put gang life behind them. But financial transactions leave a trail, and the trails in this case do not lead to where donors would expect.?The trails allegedly lead to Mr. Henley’s personal bank account.?And money trails don’t lie. ? Organized crime victimizes our Los Angeles communities far too frequently, but the arrests made today demonstrates our commitment to making Los Angeles safer for everyone impacted by these criminal enterprises.?IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to partner with fellow law enforcement organizations to investigate these criminal enterprises to protect our communities from further harm." #WhatWeDoCounts

Today IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge José Gonzalez participated in a press conference alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations to announce the indictment of three suspects accused of submitting fraudulent claims for FEMA relief funds following the Los Angeles #wildfires "The fires that tore through our Los Angeles neighborhoods earlier this year left a wake of destruction that will impact our communities for decades.?When most people rallied behind those affected by these devastating fires, there are others who sought, or will seek, opportunities to exploit assistance programs for their own personal gain. ? Such was the case for the investigations announced today.?In multiple non-connected cases, these suspects are accused of attempting to defraud the U.S. Government out of disaster relief funds carved out to help those who lost loved ones… pets… homes… as well as those whose properties were damaged instead of destroyed.?These relief funds - YOUR taxpayer dollars - were intended to go to those in NEED. ? Schemers who steal - or attempt to steal - these relief funds do so from each and every one of us, but more importantly from those whose lives were completely upended by these devastating fires. ? IRS Criminal Investigation stands proudly with our law enforcement partners to deter and prevent this sort of fraud, and we are proud to stand here today to demonstrate the fruits of our commitment to ensuring funds exist for those in need as Los Angeles rebuilds our communities." #WhatWeDoCounts

As the saying goes, and we're paraphrasing... "A smart person learns from their mistakes. A smarter person learns from the mistakes of others." It's #taxseason and we want to remind everyone that trying to illegally deduct items such as gambling losses as a business expense is a big #mistake. IRS Criminal Investigation maintains vigilant watch for schemers and fraudsters who try to skirt their #tax obligations. #WhatWeDoCounts

We all must pay our fair share of #taxes. Celebrities are not exempt. Today, tattoo artist to the stars Daniel Winter, aka "winterstone" to his social media followers, pled guilty to evading at least $641k in taxes. Winter's work has made multiple #RedCarpet appearances on the bodies of his a-list clients. “Mr. Winter willfully avoided reporting a substantial income earned from his lucrative tattoo business. By substantially underreporting his income, Mr. Winter placed additional tax burden on his fellow Americans. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to our mission to serve the American public by investigating criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code.” - IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher. #WhatWeDoCounts

Mac Anderson, the former manager for Marvel Entertainment's iconic Stan Lee, agreed today to plead #guilty to two counts of willfully subscribing to a false #taxreturn. ”For at least four years, Mr. Anderson exploited his relationship with Marvel Universe creator Stan Lee for his own personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office. “Mr. Anderson’s unique access to Mr. Lee presented him with an opportunity to profit off of signed memorabilia which he sold in multiple forums, yet neglected to report more than $1 million in earnings. Mr. Anderson’s willful negligence to pay his fair share places added burden on honest taxpayers, and IRS Criminal Investigation ‘could do this all day’ to bring criminal tax cheats to justice.” #WhatWeDoCounts

#Taxcrimes will always be our bread and butter. IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. #Taxes are crucial to successfully run our nation, and one person's deliberate avoidance of paying their fair share impacts every single American taxpayer. Earlier this week, famed L.A. attorney Milton Grimes was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay $7,236,556 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and to the California Franchise Tax Board. “As a successful attorney and owner of a law practice, Mr. Grimes was well aware of his income tax obligations, which he repeatedly chose to evade,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher. “Despite multiple attempts by the IRS to help him settle his tax obligations, Mr. Grimes continued to obfuscate his income. Unfortunately for him, IRS Criminal Investigation special agents are the best financial investigators in the world, and now he will feel the repercussions of his actions.”

Today, Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani was sentenced to 57 months in prison, and ordered to pay nearly $17 million in restitution to Ohtani and $1.1 million in restitution to the IRS. In a press conference following the sentencing hearing, Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said, “As we are now in the second week of tax filing season, I would be remiss if I did not remind people that all income, whether legally or illegally earned, is reportable. A lesson Mr. Mizuhara learned 1.1 million hard ways.” #whatwedocounts

Yesterday was the official start of #taxseason. Every year, scammers try to take advantage of honest Americans by running schemes designed to separate people from their hard-earned money. To help combat this issue, the Internal Revenue Service posts tips to avoid becoming a #victim. IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office is ever vigilant for these scams and schemes, and we are committed to bringing these predators to justice when we learn of them. In the meantime, take a look at some tips on how to recognize tax scams and fraud.

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the #LAFires over the past week, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the #firefighters and other #firstresponders who have been working tirelessly since January 7. Unfortunately, history has shown #scammers will try to capitalize on this tragedy and seek to exploit victims for personal benefit. Below are some tips to avoid falling victim to those with ill will, and how to report fraud for anyone who thinks they may have encountered it.